Residents plea for end to gang violence

“Stop killing our children” was the plea of residents, community leaders and ward councillors at a prayer walk in Lentegeur after a spate of gang-related shootings in Mitchell’s Plain.

The walk was organised by sub-council 17 on Thursday January 16. During the walk councillors stopped at the places where several people had been shot in Lentegeur, (“Gang turf war leaves 7 dead, 5 injured”, Plainsman, January 15).

Ithrah Jaftha, 10, and her mother, Saadia, took part in the walk on Thursday January 16.

Ms Jaftha told the Plainsman that she wanted her daughter to witness the prayer walk especially after a girl, 6, was shot and injured in the crossfire, (“Girl, 6, injured, 4 dead, in five days of gang shootings”, January 13).

“It’s happening all around with our children being held hostage. It’s frustrating, our children need to stay indoors. If the gun shots go off, we have to lay on the floor at home. I brought them out so they can experience this with us,” she said.

Ms Jaftha said said they need continued police visibility and criminals were notified before the police get to them.

Lentegeur resident Malecia Williams, 55, who works at Meadowridge Primary School said parents needed to drop and fetch their children on school grounds.

Lentegeur resident Bahia Janodien, chairperson of the Shumeez Scott Foundation, which focused on people with special needs said: “At the end of December, excessive violence took place. It was sad. There were no SAPS present until the community voiced their plea for it,” she said.

Ms Janodien expressed concern about the safety of children, especially children with special needs.

Montrose Park resident Amien Gafieldien, 19, said: “The government needs to be blamed. How do criminals get access to guns? It’s unacceptable to live in a community full of fear. The most tragic thing is it’s a norm and not a shock to experience this violence.”

Ward 76 councillor, Avron Plaatjies, said the community is being held hostage by gang violence. We’re standing together in solidarity and we have had enough,” (“Community march against gang shootings,” Plainsman January 17).

Michael Jacobs, chairperson of the Lentegeur community policing forum (CPF), said he hopes this will become a united front against gangsterism.

On Wednesday January 15, the Lentegeur CPF hosted an urgent community engagement at the Lentegeur sub-council chambers to discuss the spate of gang violence in the precinct.

The meeting was initially scheduled to take place in Skilpadbessie Street but was moved to the chambers to avoid a possible flare up of violence at the funeral of an alleged gangster killed in the recent shootings, which was held at the same time, much to the dismay of some of the leaders present.

One after the other, community leaders expressed their concern over the on-going shootings, widespread drug distribution, the high prevalence of guns and ammunition, and lack of camera surveillance and number plate technology in the area.

They also raised the issues of poor police crime intelligence and visibility, police corruption, robbing of women and children on bridges, crime on schools, the shortage of equipment for neighbourhood watches, and the lack of recreational facilities and programmes for the youth.

Mr Jacobs thanked the community leaders for their participation and called on them to continue to hold the police accountable.

“We need to be critical about the policing function because if we are not going to ask the hard questions, our community will stand over open graves day in and night out,” he said.

Elton Jansen, sub-council 17 chairperson said ward councillors will continue to apply pressure on the City’s safety authorities.

“We have seen several members of the City’s safety and security units in the area, as well as SAPS. We thank them for coming but they need them to come up with a long-term plan and not just bring these members in for a short period of time and when it subsides they go out of the area,” Mr Jansen said.

Member of parliament Ian Cameron and Western Cape MEC for sports and cultural affairs, Ricardo Mackenzie also attended the meeting.

Mr Mackenzie urged community leaders to inform the youth of the provincial government’s ongoing youth programmes. He also recommended that a formal commission of inquiry into the gang violence in Mitchell’s Plain be launched.

Norman Jantjies, chairperson of the Mitchell’s Plain CPF echoed the MEC’s sentiments for a commission of inquiry and pledged the support of the forum as well as that of their Strandfontein counterparts to the Lentegeur CPF and community.

“Gangsterism has always been with us and we can either decide we are going to live with it or we are going to fight it. There’s a resolve in the meeting that we want to make a difference.

“It cannot be business as usual for our children to be scared to go to the shops or people to go to church or the madrassa. It needs to stop. The City and the province must take it seriously because you cannot just come to Mitchell’s Plain to get a vote when it’s election time but when it really matters you are not there.

“All the councillors must pull together, whether it’s in their ward allocation, we must fight for the City to increase the camera footage in Mitchell’s Plain. As one gentleman correctly said in the more affluent areas they have all the cameras and number plate detection technology. We need these here as well.

“We want to support you because gangsterism is not just in Lentegeur, tomorrow it’s in our areas, then in Strandfontein. We need to stand together,” Mr Jantjies said.