Cape Town - The Cape Coloured Congress (CCC) has slammed the DA-led government for not doing enough to address escalating gang violence on the Cape Flats.
In a scathing statement, the CCC gave the provincial government three days to respond to its call for action before it begins to sabotage the tourism sector by bringing the international community into the mix.
The party is demanding that the provincial government take immediate action against all known drug houses, gang hotspots and known gang leaders in Cape Town.
CCC secretary-general Sakeena Frenchman said while the party knows and understands that fighting crime is a national competency it wanted to understand why the province has a Community Safety Department with a functioning budget when it’s not stepping in to alleviate the situation on the Cape Flats.
“Over the past few weeks and months, we have seen another surge in gang-related violence and murders across the Cape Flats. This week Hanover Park has seen some of its worst gang violence in months and not a single media statement or any other efforts on the part of the DA-led provincial government.
“I get scared every time my daughter leaves Mitchell’s Plain. The government’s attention is not on the ongoing gang violence in our local communities it is elsewhere, and this stance is how we are going to get them to take action.”
Frenchman said failure by the government to address the plight of Cape Flats communities within the next 72 hours would see the party launch its most ambitious social media campaign, broadcasting the ongoing violence to international communities.
“We shall call upon every member and supporter of the Cape Coloured Congress, victims of crime, every mother who has lost a child to gang violence, every terrorised citizen of this province to join us and tag every major international tourism platform to raise awareness about what’s going on on the Cape Flats,” she said.
In response to the statements made by the CCC, newly appointed Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen said: “I have long been driving the issue of police inefficiencies related to combating the operation of drug houses in the province. Our Constitution places an obligation on the SAPS to protect and secure residents by preventing, combating and investigating criminal activities.
“We know the perpetual mismanagement and under-resourcing of the provincial SAPS makes it extremely difficult for this mandate to be achieved. It’s clear an approach is required to create safer communities.
“I hope to constructively engage with all interested stakeholders and parties in this regard to ascertain how best we can collaboratively prevent these illicit activities from destroying our communities,” Allen said.