JP Smith
The article “Gang project under fire” (Cape Times, December 24, page 1) is horribly off the mark.
Ceasefire has been run as a pilot project in Hanover Park only for the last three years and not in Gugulethu and Manenberg as indicated in the article. Ceasefire was never marketed as a tool to stop gang violence, but rather to reduce the number of gang-related killings and the crime statistics show that that has in fact happened.
It is also an inaccurate assumption that Ceasefire was “imported” and implemented without being customised for our own social and economic realities. The comment about the programme needing to be linked to the SAPS shows that Dr Benjamin actually does not understand Ceasefire – either the original concept implemented in Chicago or the model in Cape Town. In fact, the SAPS were part of the original steering committee when we started the project and are still on board.
However, the “violence interrupters” can never work with or be linked to the police as they would immediately lose all credibility with the high-risk individuals they work among and would no doubt be killed very quickly. Dr Benjamin clearly does not understand this project at all and I must question her “expertise” in this field.
We have just completed an assessment of the first three years of Ceasefire in Hanover Park. There has been a 31 percent reduction in murder (according to SAPS statistics for one of the categories that is considered to be very reliable) during this period compared to the preceding years. In fact, these statistics would have been even better had it not been for one particularly violent conflict between the gangs they were unable to interrupt or mediate.
I have not had any meetings with Dr Benjamin, nor has anyone else in the Safety and Security Directorate. We have not seen the report referred to in the article either.
It is therefore disconcerting that such a report would be circulated to other parties, including the media, without being discussed with the City first and it suggests bad faith.
It is also disconcerting how the article makes no mention of the South African Police Service’s role in crime prevention.
The only thing that can stop the gangsterism is the national government doing their jobs by fixing the criminal justice system and achieving more than a 2 percent conviction rate for gang murders.
The City of Cape Town controls only 3 percent of all policing resources and we do not have any powers to investigate crime.
This article misdirects blame towards the City for gang violence. Furthermore, this irresponsible article has the potential to do a great deal of damage by presenting untested claims and opinions as fact.
The City of Cape Town is always on the lookout for innovative ways to address social issues – I invite Dr Benjamin and others to work with us to find lasting solutions instead of criticising from the sidelines.
l Smith is the mayoral committee member for Safety and Security for the City of Cape Town