Cape Town - ANC MP Faiez Jacobs has lashed out at Western Cape Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz for not ensuring community safety following a spate of gang killings in Mitchells Plain.
Jacobs released a statement on Tuesday calling out Fritz for having “the audacity to point fingers” in the wake of the violence in Mitchell's Plain which claimed the lives of 10 people.
Fritz visited the Mitchells Plain police station on Monday, following a bloody weekend with more than 10 people shot and six killed. Fritz also visited the families of those affected.
The MP said that the DA agenda of preserving white privilege has taken precedence over fighting crime and ensuring community safety.
“Organised crime in the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape is a lucrative market and Fritz and his cronies in the DA have done little to uproot it.
“Fritz glibly opines that we need to deal with the root causes of gang violence without addressing what it is they have done, nor what they are going to do about the gross inequality, poverty and unemployment that fuels violence.”
He called on Fritz to stop electioneering by devastated families and communities reeling under the burden of unbridled violent crime.
“Lets put party politics aside and get real with our communities; offering real and sustainable solutions that emerge out of sustained engagement with communities, community policy forums, Sanco and other organs of civil society.”
Jacobs added: “You spent huge sums of money on a gunshot detector in Hanover Park and what is the result? You should be charged for fruitless expenditure and you must go to the community of Hanover Park and explain to them how this has helped reduce the fears of pupils dodging bullets in class, getting caught in crossfire on your way to work or being robbed of your meagre Sassa payment.”
He called on the MEC to do his job and through collective efforts strengthen community policing forums and engage neighbourhood watches.
“We must bring back the street committees and reclaim the space for our children to play and for our youth to explore alternatives to gangsterism, drugs and criminality.
“We are tired of the games you play at the expense of our communities and the valuable lives of our youth.“
The MEC declined to comment on Jacobs’ remarks, and instead redirected focus to his statement from Monday which outlines the efforts that the department is undertaking provincially.
“I have committed to assist those affected families with information and support where needed,” Fritz said.
“The Department of Community Safety will be expediting the roll-out of additional law enforcement and violence prevention efforts through the establishment of Area Based Teams (ABT) in communities most affected by violent crime.
“Mitchells Plain will be included in the second phase of ABT roll-outs and will temporarily have a deployment of LEAP law enforcement officers, which we hope to make permanent.”
Cape Argus