Social solutions needed for gang areas
The Western Cape ANC says the DA-led provincial and metro governments must play a bigger role in dealing with the social ills and root causes of gangster problems instead of merely calling soldiers into residential areas.
ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile says: "The ANC condemns all gang violence ravaging our communities. The ANC calls on all these communities and individuals to assist the South African Police Service with specific information and testimonies in court to reduce and rid our living areas of these criminal elements."
The ANC holds the view that the DA is not fit to deal with this scourge, as it postulated before. It is in fact surrendering and even Western Cape premier Helen Zille now calls on soldiers armed to the teeth to enter people's lives and homes in the hope to stabilise the problem.
Mjongile says: "This capitulation once more confirm our concerns about the cosy relationship of community safety MEC Dan Plato with hardened criminals like gang lords. The ANC has always objected to entertaining gangsters as this not a sustainable solution.
"We observed every time Zille's envoy Plato was involved in communities, it sparked more violence and suffering. His so-called ceasefire plans and accords do not last long.
"The continued discrediting and lack of confidence by Zille in SAPS only undermines and compromise on-going efforts of our police in the battle against gangsters and crime."
Drug pushing, poverty and underdevelopment are the real problems in these poor areas. This is pointed out by experts that say other interventions are necessary, not more police, units or soldiers armed with deadly ammunition.
"The DA-run province and metro should develop more social interventions focussing on food security, small business development, work creation through drivers such as the Extended Public Works Programmes (EPWP) in those areas and the upgrading the living environment of poor people. Unfortunately we have seen fund cutting at this end and EPWP funding used in cleaning up leafy areas where DA style blue bags are daily seen on streets.
"Instead of slamming the present efforts, the DA should support and strengthen police reservist and CPF's in their jobs. Not discrediting them in communities and advancing own DA influenced structures like neighbourhood watches.
"Education, training and job creation provides medium to longer term solutions to uplift gang infested areas. Youth development is one of the tools this DA in government ignores as the province still has no clear programme that will go a long way to equip younger people with life skills and integrate them into mainstream society as alternative to a life of crime," Mjongile adds.
The ANC calls on the police to intensify efforts like random searches of suspect gang members and drug dens. The ANC further calls for intelligence-driven and integrated interventions where the National Prosecuting Authority, justice, police and the intelligence community focus on prosecuting and dealing harsher with drug related crimes.
The ANC also calls for SAPS to take over Zille's ineffective and rogue drug unit at the City of Cape Town and to integrate the full Metro Police complement into SAPS for a unified police service to fight crime in the Cape Flats as a single entity.
Statement issued by Songezo Mjongile, ANC Western Cape, July 12 2012
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