Following a spike in gun-related violence since the start of the week, residents in Vrygrond and Capricorn say they are living in fear and feel that local authorities are failing to restore calm in their communities.
Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Thursday morning, community activist Mymoena Scholtz expressed deep concern over the situation, saying innocent lives are being lost while the South African Police Service (SAPS) is not doing enough to ensure the safety of residents.
“We’ve seen a sharp increase in shootings over the past two weeks—particularly in the last 48 hours—where we’ve heard of up to nine people being shot in a single day. It’s disheartening that there’s still no visible police presence in the area,” she said.
Scholtz called on the Minister of Police to take decisive action, stressing that more needs to be done to address the root causes of violent crime.
“If the Minister addressed these issues head-on and criminals saw that the justice system is working, we would see a decrease in fatalities across the province. Authorities should have proactive measures in place in known hotspots—areas where drug trade and gang activity are rife—because those are the places experiencing the highest rates of gun violence,” she added.
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