The Delft community has said that the latest crime statistics depict just a fraction of the problems faced by the community.
Delft recorded 86 murders during the third quarter of last year, up from 81 murders in the third quarter of 2021. Other police stations that top the list nationally are Nyanga, Kraaifontein, and Harare.
Delft community police forum spokesperson Charles George said the latest crime statistics revealed just a small piece of the larger puzzle of problems faced by the Delft community.
“The list goes on and on. There is high unemployment, a huge amount of children not attending school, constant shootings, a big increase in suicides, families breaking up, and no proper infrastructure. It creates the wrong environment to produce anything of worth.
“There are almost 24 000 churches in Delft. They are mainly backyard churches. There is also a failing educational sector. All of the problems are compounded by terrible load-shedding schedules (planned and unplanned),” he said.
George said he had communicated his grievances to previous Cape Town mayors over the years, but nothing had changed.
“The City’s inability to assist is a long discussion. I have previously approached them, but it is a dead end,” he said.
Resident Nomazizi Mtose said that over and beyond the continual shootings and crime in Delft, cable theft had also become the norm amid the various load-shedding disruptions.
“Last week we didn’t have electricity for three days. Previously we had no electricity for two weeks. The cable theft, mixed with load shedding, is making it very difficult for us in Delft. We are even scared to go outside. The e-hailing services are even reluctant to accept our ride requests, because Delft is a hot spot. We live in fear,” she said.
Sisa Makaula – from the Makaula Foundation, which works with the community to equip them with skills and opportunities – was shot in Delft in March 2017, and said as Delft grew so did the crime.
“Delft has grown over the years, and as the number of people increases, the crime does too. We also have an increased presence of taverns, which are contributing to high levels of substance abuse and crime.
“The fact that we only have one police station in such a hot spot and a big area is also very problematic. We have become so numb to crime – we no longer get shocked any more in Delft. It’s sad because we are raising kids in such an environment,” he said.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the City’s safety and security directorate had confirmed that patrols by law enforcement advancement plan officers had shown a visible difference in crime prevention in hot-spot areas throughout the metro, including Delft.
“Crime statistics during the fourth quarter of last year showed a visible decline in serious crime in Delft. A comparative analysis over 12 months indicated that Delft has seen a 17.4% decrease in murder, with contact crime also declining by 12.1%. The City will continue to work closely with the SAPS as the leading crime prevention authority,” he said.
Delft police station was recently listed fourth in the country for most crimes detected as a result of police action.
This announcement came a day after a City of Cape Town official, Wendy Kloppers, was gunned down in Delft.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced this week that a reward of R1 million would be given to anyone with information leading to the prosecution of those responsible for the murder.