Top cops and politicians ventured into our Cape Flats war zones this week to check out the situation on the ground.
You’d swear there was an election around the corner the way the authorities have reacted to the recent surge in violence in the city.
No complaints here, though, it is a matter of urgency, the killings have reached critical levels again.
Ten people were gunned down in Manenberg alone in one week and another five in a killing spree in Khayelitsha in one night, prompting Police Minister Bheki Cele to don his fedora hat and do some work.
SA’s top cop and Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant-Colonel Thembisile Patekile, got a rude welcome when a young man was shot and wounded minutes before his walkabout in Heideveld on Thursday.
Cele was supposed to attend an imbizo in Manenberg, where it’s going gerook, but assured that cops were on top of things and 14 arrests have already been made and five guns confiscated so far.
SAPS were doing their jobs, he said. If you want to blame anyone, look at the justice department.
Earlier this week, Cele’s deputy Cassel Mathale visited Manenberg and Gugulethu to listen to the communities’ crime concerns.
And he got an earful, with Manenberg residents complaining about a lack of police visibility, while Gugs people highlighted a spike in gender-based violence.
At least eight women have been murdered on the Cape Flats in the past month.
The police gave the crowd the standard response, “the community must work with SAPS” but that message is getting a bit tired.
Residents complained that they go to the police stations and leave their numbers with detectives, who never get back to them.
In Manenberg, mense said there’s a language barrier as the officers don’t speak Afrikaans.
Others pointed out that the justice system was the problem, as suspects get bail far too easily, and cases stall or get thrown out of court.
Frustration levels are high.
Western Cape Premier Alan got a warmer reception in Manenberg when he did an oversight visit and met with SAPS, CPF and the neighbourhood watch on Wednesday.
Since 11 March, Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers have been deployed to stem gang violence in the area.
And the locals appreciated the extra feet on the ground.
CPF chairperson Vernon Visagie says the gang shootings have gotten so bad that residents and schoolkids are scared to leave home in the morning, but they “feel better with the additional force”.
Extra law enforcement and resources certainly are a big help in tackling gang violence and beefing up security.
But one community has found another way to keep their streets safe.
In Elsies River, CPF chairperson Hamish Arries says in the space of two years, they have established 10 neighbourhood watches consisting of an army of 385 patrollers who are on the beat 24/7.
In so doing, they’ve seen a marked drop in crime, and have managed to successfully take back their streets from the skollies.
The strategy includes getting religious and community leaders involved.
Ward councillor Franchesca Walker has done her part by arranging outreach programmes for teen gangsters.
Winde was so impressed by the neighbourhood watches’ work during his walkabout to gang hotspots in Leonsdale that he got down on one knee in recognition of the community’s heroes.
It’s a major success story and the Elsies River blueprint should be shared with crime fighting organisations in other precincts as well.
taariq.halim@inl.co.za