Cape Town – Police Minister Bheki Cele says members of the criminal justice cluster have set their sights on establishing dedicated courts to handle gang-related cases, to expedite the finalisation of criminal cases and to ensure convictions.
He made the announcement yesterday during a briefing to the public and the media on the recent developments and successes of the newly launched Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) in Tafelsig.
Cele said a number of high-flyers have been arrested for various charges ranging from murders, attempted murders, possession and dealing of drugs and firearms as well as possession of stolen property.
He said 35 prominent gang leaders have been targeted, 266 gang strongholds have been searched since October 8 and out of the 110 charges, 61% of the arrested high-flyers, that included alleged member of the 28s gang Ralph Stanfield and 16 other gang members, are still in custody.
Cele said the briefing was dedicated to murdered six-year-old Stacey Adams and one-year-old Taswell Junior Nel, from Cafda Village in Steenberg, who was shot and killed by a member of the JFK’s gang.
He said this was important as the country observed 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
“Since the inception of Operation Thunder on May 11, a total number of 60399 people have been charged, in all categories of crime in the province.
"During the 2017/2018 financial year, 3729 cases of murder were recorded in the Western Cape, which saw an increase of 12.6% (418 counts) compared to the 2016/2017 period.
"Gang-related murders are a contributor to the province’s high murder statistics, contributing to 808 (22%) of confirmed murders, which was an increase from the previous year,” he said.
Cele said of the top 10 police stations with highest murder rates in the country, seven stations were from the Western Cape.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Cele launched the AGU this month under the leadership of Major-General Andre Lincoln, in an effort to disrupt the criminal economy linked to gangsterism, including drug and firearm supply lines.