As gang violence continues to grip the Cape Flats, several anti-crime activists and community stakeholders met with Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia last week to discuss government’s new strategy to curb gang-related crime in the Western Cape.
This comes as recent parliamentary data revealed that 490 gang-related deaths have been recorded in the province since April, 23 of them under the age of 18, and five younger than 14.
Cachalia presented the new plan to Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice, outlining a renewed approach to tackling organised criminal networks.
However, some community leaders remain sceptical about whether the strategy offers anything new.
Cape Crime Crisis Coalition Chairperson, Dr. Llewellyn MacMaster, welcomed the minister’s engagement but questioned the depth of the intervention.
“As you know, the minister was here a couple of weeks ago on the Cape Flats, and one of the things he said publicly was that there was actually no plan. Some thought it was brave and honest of him to say it, while others were concerned. But the one promise he made, and we were grateful for, was that he said he’d come back, and he did. I think that is a plus.”
Dr. MacMaster added that while the meeting was constructive, many community organisations still feel sidelined in the formulation of anti-gang strategies.
“While we are grateful that he returned, there’s still the question of whether this is really a new plan? What has changed? We also understand that community organisations cannot always be involved at every level, but we are wary of being left out of the process.”
Listen to the full interview with Dr. Llewellyn MacMaster below.
VOC News
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