Cape Flats communities deserve better
By any international measure, I live in a war zone. This weekend, over a dozen people were gunned down. It's my normal. That the Cape Flats and the coloured people in general live in a state of constant depression is a given. That every violent death we suffer can reasonably be blamed on the ANC isn't in question.
We need more police officers, but at the rate they are dying that won't happen any time soon. In any civilized country in the world, the death of a cop is met with the national flag flying at half-mast. It’s the ultimate sign of respect, of mourning. That it doesn't happen here tells me that officers killed in the line of duty aren't accorded the respect deserved. It tells me that they aren't mourned by this state.
That so many of our top police generals are caught up in corruption allegations and charges can't inspire the troops, can it? So a depressed community is policed by a demotivated, probably depressed, police force. Anyone could foretell the results, anyone but our decision makers.
I cannot leave our premier out of this conversation. You did after all promise us 500 law enforcement officers in Mitchell’s Plain, Mr Winde. You received our votes. We never got the promised return on investment. Some of these dead children may well still be alive if you hadn't lied.
But in your time as MEC for economic development, you ensured that the old order would perpetuate. As premier, you've simply stayed the course. You, Mr Premier, will be held accountable for these deaths by us, your constituency.
As head of local safety and security, Mr JP Smith had the audacity to tell me in the press, that safety and security was not his core concern. He’s since gone out of his way to prove that he’s unconcerned. It's what you get when you employ an IT expert to ensure our physical safety. He's more concerned with barking dogs than gunshots after all.
The incompetence is the reason our children have a short life expectancy. The Cape Flats deserves better.
* Fadiel Adams, President of Cape Coloured Congress
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Newspapers.
Steps are being taken to help tackle gang shootings
Response to the letter by Cape Coloured Congress president Fadiel Adams:
The violence that took place in Mitchells Plain over the past week is devastating and unacceptable, and we send our condolences to those who have lost loved ones in these recent violent incidents.
As Mr Adams points out, SAPS are mandated to prevent and investigate crime, however, they are under-resourced in the province.
The Western Cape Government has an oversight role to play in safety, but has also had to step up into the gaps left by the national government and SAPS, because we understand that residents are tired of living in fear, and want safe spaces to live and raise their families in.
This is why the Western Cape Government developed the safety plan. It is targeted at boosting the numbers of law enforcement officers on the ground, and targeted at violence prevention strategies.
The plan is data-driven and evidence-led, and officers are deployed in areas where crime is the worst.
The claim in Mr Adams' letter that this plan would roll out 500 additional officers to Mitchells Plain is incorrect. In total, we have trained and deployed 500 officers, with another 500 to be trained and deployed this year. These officers will ultimately be deployed in Area Based Teams (ABT) to ten crime hotspots.
The Department of Community Safety will expedite the roll out of additional law enforcement resources and violence prevention efforts through the establishment of these Area Based Teams in communities most affected by violent crime.
Mitchells Plain will be included in the second phase of ABT roll-outs, and to respond to the current spate of violence, we will temporarily deploy LEAP officers to the area.
During my State of the Province Address last month, I outlined how the Western Cape Government is working to advance safety, dignity and well-being, and job creation. All three of these play an important role in violence prevention, which builds safer communities.
Each department in our government has been tasked with a safety priority.
We have worked hard to build a better working relationship with the SAPS, and our Department of Community Safety supports neighbourhood watches, which are important role-players in safety.
Our Departments of Social Development and Education are also rolling out programmes aimed at changing violent behaviours and making schools safer.
Violence prevention is a long-term intervention and requires a whole of society approach.
I call on members of the public to work with us to fight crime and violence and to report information to their local SAPS, by calling Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or using the TipOff function on the MySAPS cellphone app.
* Premier Alan Winde.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Newspapers.
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