It’s been another week of bloodshed in the wild, wild Western Cape.
Mass shootings have become a regular occurrence in the province in recent months. In the deadliest incidents, five people were killed and four others wounded during shootings in Hillview and Seawinds at the weekend.
On Tuesday, three more were gunned down in nearby Montague Village. On Wednesday, a shocking eight people were killed in a 12-hour shooting spree in Harare, Khayelitsha.
With no arrests, suspects or even motives for the attacks, police appear to be powerless to stop the violence. In fact, they have even become targets. On Monday, a Nyanga police detective was hijacked, robbed and shot with his own service pistol.
On Wednesday, an Atlantis sergeant was killed when he was shot by a suspect at a domestic violence scene.
All of this carnage unfolded around Police Minister Bheki Cele, who was in Hanover Park on Sunday, addressing residents’ concerns about a lack of police visibility and resources in the gang-ravaged suburb.
Cele sought to reassure the community that the SAPS was doing its utmost to fight crime.
“We have put in more resources (here) than other provinces when it comes to fighting crime. We have brought extra resources together with extra police and cars to work on the gangster-infested police station and this is one (Hanover Park),” he said.
But clearly they are not doing enough.
An interesting development this week was the signing of a new Constitution for Community Policing Forums and Boards by the community, heads of SAPS and the department of community safety.
The policy aims to streamline co-operation and communication between community crime fighters and law enforcement.
While this is a step in the right direction, what is clear is that a radical change is required if authorities are to successfully combat crime in a province where gangs, extortion mafias and taxi thugs rule with the gun, and hold our terrorised communities ransom.
With it being election campaign season, and politicians being extra accessible and attentive as they go about canvassing support in communities, now is the right time to press them on their policies on policing.
Do they offer viable solutions and plans to address the crisis? Or are they just shooting their mouths?
This is one of the most critical issues confronting South Africa. And it is most certainly worthy of your vote.
* Taariq Halim, Western Cape Regional Editor.
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