Cape Town - Police Minister Bheki Cele has confirmed that soldiers have already arrived in the Western Cape ahead of their deployment to various communities on the Cape Flats in “the coming days”.
At the same time, police said 143 suspects have been arrested since Thursday when the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) operation began in the areas of Philippi, Steenberg and Delft.
Cele was in Philippi East on Sunday morning on a walkabout to reassure residents following a spike in killings and gangsterism in the area.
He told reporters that he had also been on overnight patrols across parts of the Cape Flats affected, including Gugulethu and Philippi East.
Cele said: “The National Commissioner (Khehla John Sitole) and myself were patrolling until about 3am.
“We visited shebeens which were shut, except for one in Gugulethu which was open.
“The people we met on patrol pleaded with me that we shouldn’t wait for nightfall and that the patrols should be on every day because visible policing makes them feel safer.”
“The soldiers are coming. In fact they are already here and are being orientated by the SAPS and then they will start work alongside the police.
“The army cannot be here permanently,” the minister said.
“Once there is stabilisation in the area, the police will ensure the stability is sustained. The community will have to work with the police. There are things we need to fix, things that the communities want us to do, and we are working on our relationships with the communities,” Cele said.
“The police have done a good job here, now they need this extra assistance (from the army) for the time being and then they (the soldiers) will go back to barracks.”
National police spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo said: “The 143 suspects were arrested for crimes including murder, attempted murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, aggravated robberies, unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and possession of drugs. Members of the operations also recovered drugs (including tik, mandrax and cannabis), arms and ammunition and hijacked vehicles.
“These operations are considered to be a resounding success and operations will continue for at least another three months until the affected communities are normalised,” said Naidoo.
Philippi East resident Mzwanele Dyokani said: “Even though the soldiers are not yet patrolling the location, we are already feeling safer. We expect the army to make us feel even more safe.”
Thembisile Mbenene chairperson of Ward 88 Development Forum, which covers the areas of Kosovo, Never-Never, Heinz Park, Phola Park and Marcus Garvey, said: “We have seen increased police presence over the weekend. We are expecting the army from Monday onwards, but we’ll see.”
Cele later joined Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz for the closing of the two-day provincial Crime Summit at the SAPS Academy in Paarl.
At the summit, he announced that the long-running intergovernmental dispute process on police resourcing between the province and his office had been resolved.
“We have agreed that we will work together for the sake of our people in the Western Cape,” said Cele.
Fritz said: “I think this summit is going to be the model for all other government departments in the country to show how provincial government, national government and local government can work together. “
During the summit, themed Building a United Front in the Fight Against Crime, 500 stakeholders exchanged views and crafted sustainable solutions towards combating crime in the province. A similar forum will be held in two weeks, drawing more participants, including members of neighbourhood watches, CPFs and community bodies.