Gang Violence Ravages South African Communities, Forcing Residents Into De Facto Curfews
Press Statement by Dereleen James MP
ActionSA Member of Parliament
ActionSA once again raises the alarm over the surge in gang violence tearing through communities across South Africa, where ruthless gangs turn neighbourhoods into warzones, littering the streets with bullet casings and forcing innocent families to live in constant fear.
Worryingly, this reality persists while law enforcement remains tragically incapable of tackling the rampant lawlessness, despite repeated interventions that appear sporadic, limited, and, most importantly, lacking in long-term strategic focus, sustained commitment, and a proactive approach.
The consequence of this continued failure is that communities like Westbury are now effectively on hiding indoors following a spate of gang-related killings, with residents forced to retreat indoors by 6pm, living in a state of terror.
From the Cape Flats in the Western Cape to Eldorado Park and Westbury in Gauteng, and the northern areas of Nelson Mandela Bay, gangs continue to terrorise our communities at will, while government across all spheres fails to address both the root causes of the escalating violence and the urgent need to confront the criminality in its full severity. As a result, these communities are left feeling utterly hopeless, despite their never-ending appeals for help.
ActionSA believes it is clear that law enforcement remains gravely underfunded, under-resourced and lacks the intelligence capacity to effectively address crimes of this nature, making urgent resource capacitation necessary to prevent further bloodshed.
Gang Violence Ravages South African Communities, Forcing Residents Into De Facto Curfews
ActionSA once again raises the alarm over the surge in gang violence tearing through communities across South Africa, where ruthless gangs turn neighbourhoods into warzones, littering the streets with bullet casings and forcing innocent families to live in constant fear.
Worryingly, this reality persists while law enforcement remains tragically incapable of tackling the rampant lawlessness, despite repeated interventions that appear sporadic, limited, and, most importantly, lacking in long-term strategic focus, sustained commitment, and a proactive approach.
The consequence of this continued failure is that communities like Westbury are now effectively on hiding indoors following a spate of gang-related killings, with residents forced to retreat indoors by 6pm, living in a state of terror.
From the Cape Flats in the Western Cape to Eldorado Park and Westbury in Gauteng, and the northern areas of Nelson Mandela Bay, gangs continue to terrorise our communities at will, while government across all spheres fails to address both the root causes of the escalating violence and the urgent need to confront the criminality in its full severity. As a result, these communities are left feeling utterly hopeless, despite their never-ending appeals for help.
ActionSA believes it is clear that law enforcement remains gravely underfunded, under-resourced and lacks the intelligence capacity to effectively address crimes of this nature, making urgent resource capacitation necessary to prevent further bloodshed.