Cape Town - Gang members have been organising criminal activities, including murders, from the confines of their prison cells using social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Mxit and Outoilet.
Major-General Jeremy Veary, the head of Operation Combat, confirmed that incarcerated gang bosses use social media to control activities and issue instructions.
Veary was speaking at a press conference at police headquarters in Green Point where police top brass addressed gang violence in areas on the Cape Flats.
“Some Correctional Services report large numbers of cellphones that are seized. (In some incidents) people planned to do certain things to other people. But those things are primarily detected because of the provincial team having a close relationship, operationally, with the prisons – even when it comes down to seizure operations.”
He said that his team had picked up on incidents where gang members used Facebook and WhatsApp from their prison cells. These detections had resulted in the prosecution of other alleged gang members believed to be involved in illegal activities, and the addition of further charges to already imprisoned gang members.
“But, you should understand, there is an evidential standard that should be maintained in our courts and it is not easy just to say, ‘Take this Outoilet message to court as sufficient evidence’. Those are some of the challenges. But the monitoring has indeed assisted us, and produced great success, especially in prison gangs and communication between the outside and the inside that involves the use of social networks,” Veary said.
At a separate media event in Bonteheuwel, Western Cape Community Safety MEC Dan Plato confirmed that law enforcement authorities were aware of gang members using social media as tools of intimidation.
Plato was conducting a walkabout in the area which aimed to inform the community about the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).
“We are aware that gangsters do use social media. It will be very difficult to close down social media for them entirely. They (gang members) use it to their advantage and to intimidate and instil fear in people’s minds when they read their names on social networks,” Plato said.
A 40-year-old resident, who asked not to be named out of fear of victimisation, told the Cape Argus: “They (gang members) will put your name on Outoilet, and other social networks and you will know you are next. Do you know how many people have died this way, by being open targets on social networks? Who is safe when your face and your name can be found on Facebook and posted anywhere else. They can find you. There is nowhere to hide.”
A message on Outoilet was testament to the threats that exist on the social platform. A user with the pseudonym “Bad Boy Killer” posted: “Ougat Bad Boy en Kashief Bad Boy. Julle tyd is naby. Julle tyd kom. Vol lood sal julle in julle eie bloed lê. (Your time is close. You will be pumped full of lead and lie in your own blood).”
Cape Argus