ActionSA expresses concern about the recent surge in gang violence that has rocked the Bellville South area, the consequences of which has not only led to the loss of human life, with bullet casings littered across the streets, but also where residents are unable to access basic services due to the area being designated as red zone for critical services.
Alarmingly, as previously highlighted, the effects of the rampant gang violence terrorising our communities have now directly impacted residents access to basic services.
Residents in these vulnerable communities are exposed to a reality where ambulances are unable to enter the community without a police escort, which is often impossible due to SAPS resource limitations. Municipal services and contractors are unable to service the community and law enforcement itself appears to have bent the knee to these gangs.
Reports indicate that the release of a known gang leader from prison has sparked recent gang-related killings in Bellville South as a result of turf wars, all the while residents live in constant fear.
We believe that this is a direct consequence of the collapse of the rule of law, where our broken criminal justice system favours criminals and where law enforcement is incapacitated by mismanagement.
For as long as there is no holistic plan to stop the continued decline of law and order and break the stranglehold of gangsterism, we stand no chance at putting an end to the extortionist and criminal gangs that threaten the delivery of critical services to our most vulnerable communities.
We maintain that the immediate deployment of additional visible policing units is key to deterring criminality. Disappointingly, while SAPS continues to scapegoat their failure by pointing to resource limitations, we have consistently offered them a solution, which is to reduce expenditure on VIP protection and reallocate these funds towards crime prevention and visible policing in high-risk areas.
Sadly, the reality is that the current government does not have the will to cut down on extravagance and prefers to be chauffeured around in armoured vehicles while ordinary South Africans are left defenceless.
Communities across the Cape Flats will continue to mourn the loss of innocent life if we don’t seriously confront gangsterism as a pressing social ill. This is precisely why ActionSA has committed to ensuring that anti-gangsterism programs are implemented in prisons and communities with high levels of crime to combat the normalisation of violence.
We have made it clear that we will enforce stricter sanctions for the possession of illegal firearms and will form a specialised law enforcement unit tasked with combating the drug trade and dismantling narcotics syndicates that are destroying our youth and communities.
ActionSA is committed to ensuring that we restore the rule of law and ensure that the government plays a constructive role in uplifting our communities from the shackles of poverty, underdevelopment and substance abuse, which directly contribute to the rampant criminality that has begun to impact the delivery of basic services to our vulnerable communities.
Vulnerable Communities Suffer As Gang Violence Disrupts Access to Basic Services
ActionSA expresses concern about the recent surge in gang violence that has rocked the Bellville South area, the consequences of which has not only led to the loss of human life, with bullet casings littered across the streets, but also where residents are unable to access basic services due to the area being designated as red zone for critical services.
Alarmingly, as previously highlighted, the effects of the rampant gang violence terrorising our communities have now directly impacted residents access to basic services.
Residents in these vulnerable communities are exposed to a reality where ambulances are unable to enter the community without a police escort, which is often impossible due to SAPS resource limitations. Municipal services and contractors are unable to service the community and law enforcement itself appears to have bent the knee to these gangs.
Reports indicate that the release of a known gang leader from prison has sparked recent gang-related killings in Bellville South as a result of turf wars, all the while residents live in constant fear.
We believe that this is a direct consequence of the collapse of the rule of law, where our broken criminal justice system favours criminals and where law enforcement is incapacitated by mismanagement.
For as long as there is no holistic plan to stop the continued decline of law and order and break the stranglehold of gangsterism, we stand no chance at putting an end to the extortionist and criminal gangs that threaten the delivery of critical services to our most vulnerable communities.
We maintain that the immediate deployment of additional visible policing units is key to deterring criminality. Disappointingly, while SAPS continues to scapegoat their failure by pointing to resource limitations, we have consistently offered them a solution, which is to reduce expenditure on VIP protection and reallocate these funds towards crime prevention and visible policing in high-risk areas.
Sadly, the reality is that the current government does not have the will to cut down on extravagance and prefers to be chauffeured around in armoured vehicles while ordinary South Africans are left defenceless.
Communities across the Cape Flats will continue to mourn the loss of innocent life if we don’t seriously confront gangsterism as a pressing social ill. This is precisely why ActionSA has committed to ensuring that anti-gangsterism programs are implemented in prisons and communities with high levels of crime to combat the normalisation of violence.
We have made it clear that we will enforce stricter sanctions for the possession of illegal firearms and will form a specialised law enforcement unit tasked with combating the drug trade and dismantling narcotics syndicates that are destroying our youth and communities.
ActionSA is committed to ensuring that we restore the rule of law and ensure that the government plays a constructive role in uplifting our communities from the shackles of poverty, underdevelopment and substance abuse, which directly contribute to the rampant criminality that has begun to impact the delivery of basic services to our vulnerable communities.