By Odwa Bafana Mkentane
Residents of Salt River, together with PAGAD, the EFF and Al-Jamaah, have taken to the streets in a community safety walk aimed at confronting the growing scourge of drugs and crime in the area. Memorandums were handed directly to alleged drug merchants, with residents warning that they are tired of criminality and demanding a safer, cleaner neighbourhood. The action highlights growing frustration within the community and renewed calls for authorities to step up efforts to tackle drug dealing and improve public safety.
Salt River ward councillor Yusuf Mohamed says drugs and gang violence, which have been there for many years, are a problem in the area
“Well, firstly, you need to understand and appreciate the community and the position that they’re taking. I mean, we all understand the frustration with insult-driven Woodstock regarding gangs and drugs, which has been there for, as you say, many decades, and gang violence and drugs and shootings are real problems. We shouldn’t pretend or shy away from it. We should be facing it head-on,” said Mohamed.
Mohamed added that the moment residents stand up, and they say enough is enough, there is obviously an indication to decision makers that should be doing more.
“I mean, no politician or leader or anybody of influence should shy away from that. That would be irresponsible. But I think we need to be very clear when communities do stand up, when they execute their right to protest against challenges that they face in the community. We need to understand that we can’t create parallel systems of justice, for lack of better words,” he said.
Mohamed said he does not have an issue with any political party standing by a community that is facing the plague of gang violence.
“So political parties may jump onto that bandwagon for lack of better words to get visibility and attention to their campaigns, but it would be a little bit, in my opinion, irresponsible to use a platform where people have died for political gain. I think that’s one thing that all political parties across the board, we all agree on, that gang violence is something that needs to be eradicated from our communities. But within the context of the season also, you need to realize that elections are coming up,” Mohamed said.
The ANC in the Western Cape is calling for the removal of two of its councillors after Thembinkosi Mjuza appeared on the DA’s candidate list submitted to the IEC, while Lindile Sonyoka has defected to the Patriotic Alliance. The developments have opened another front in the battle for political control of Cape Town, raising questions about councillor loyalty, party switching and what these defections could mean for the ANC as it heads into the local government elections.
Political Analyst, Dr Oscar Van Heerden, says the law requires councillors who leave the ANC to vacate their ward seats, triggering by-elections.
“Well, the law is very clear. If that happens, those people lose their seats in the ANC and then there is a framework for by elections that must happen because these are not councillors that are on the PR list, they come from ward. So there has to be a by election. But because of the rules of the IEC, the election date has already pronounced, lists has been submitted, and therefore there is no time and in fact by elections cannot take place between now and November. So, those members will now be part of the new party, not the anc. They won’t be in the list of those parties because as I say, the list has already been submitted to the IEC. They will probably be accommodated elsewhere within the party apparatus,” said Van Heerden.
Van Heerden added that more and more ANC members will jump the ship.
“This is correct in some of the instances that is the case. It is about. It’s being a little bit clever, as you say, Shafiq, with the, with the rules and so forth. I’m sure those loopholes will be closed in future. But this is what the ANC is now sitting with and dare I say this is a pattern that will increase over the coming years as the ANC party diminishes its power base and its support, more and more ANC people are going to jump ship.
“I mean, the truth of the matter is I am absolutely certain in my analysis that the ANC will be the biggest loser in this election and the PA will be the biggest winner, and because of that phenomenon, I do think that the DA is going to face some difficulties in a number of municipalities where the DA is. the PA is going to gain some of the votes and particularly mainly from the DA,” Van Heerden said.
