Crezane Bosch, DA Gauteng spokesperson for community safety, has rung the alarm following an increase in gang-related activities in the province.
Bosch is calling on Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi to pile on the pressure on Police Minister Bheki Cele to ensure that police stations are adequately equipped to combat the scourge of gang-related crimes.
This as gang violence continues to torment the communities of Westbury, Riverlea, Eldorado Park and Diepsloot in Johannesburg.
“The residents of Westbury, Riverlea and Diepsloot are living in fear for their lives due to ongoing gun violence, yet the police are not doing enough to protect them and fight crime due to severe shortages of resources,” said Bosch in a statement on Tuesday.
“In Westbury, pastors are now being targeted by gangsters because they are taking a stand to protect their community. In one of the churches, there are posters in front of the church gate allegedly from the gang members threatening to shoot the church leader.”
These communities are known to be war zones where shootings and killings have been a daily occurrence for the last few months. According to Bosch, over 40 people have been killed in rogue shootings due to gangsterism in the last three months.
At least six drive-by shootings were recorded in Westbury towards the end of October, resulting in the deaths of four people by unidentified murderers.
Bosch said the DA is concerned that despite several reports on these crimes, nothing much has been done to “curb the senseless killing of innocent lives”, noting that the police stations in Westbury, Riverlea and Diepsloot severely lack human resources, vehicles and equipment.
She further said: “In a recent ministerial briefing on police resources in the National Council of Provinces, the DA requested an update on the letter we wrote to the minister of police regarding the daily gun violence and killings occurring in these three areas.
“We have since only received a mere acknowledgment and there is no indication as to what resources will be allocated to address the challenges of lack of resources in these communities.
“The response we received was: ‘The department will try to retrieve the letter and investigate the matter.’ This comes more than a month later since the letter was sent.”
Bosch indicated that it is also concerning that Cele has not visited these communities, adding that this is a “clear indication that the ongoing murders in these communities are not important to minister Cele”.
“How many more lives need to be lost before minister Cele prioritises Westbury, Riverlea and Diepsloot to ensure that there are adequate resources to fight crime?
“The DA insists that minister Cele, premier Lesufi and Gauteng MEC for community safety Faith Mazibuko must visit these communities to assess the situation and provide much-needed resources to fight daily murders and gangsterism.”
Over the last few weeks, Eldorado Park has been tormented by a scourge of drive-by shootings as rival gangs fight over drug turfs. The residents have since established the #YesEldosAgain Movement as they feel neglected by the police.
The movement, which was established on September 11, aims to protest against the ongoing drug and gang-related crimes in Eldorado Park. It also seeks to garner more support from other townships across the country.
It said it had convened a virtual meeting on November 1 to discuss the dire state of South African communities. The meeting was attended by the communities of Eldorado Park, Westbury, Ennerdale, Riverlea, Bellavista, Lenasia, Eersterust, Chrisville, Nigel, and the Cape Flats.
“A decision was taken to bolster support across communities and establish the provincial and national #YesMovement, which aims to represent all marginalised communities neglected by the government since the dawn of democracy.
“The meeting concluded with the following statement: Government’s lack of action and disinterest will not paralyse us. We will continue to do better and take charge, with or without their assistance,” reads the statement in part.
Former City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero promised, at the start of his short-lived tenure, that his team would urgently attend to the people’s grievances.
However, the safety of the people residing in these communities and the City of Johannesburg at large now lies at the hands of the reinstated mayor, Mpho Phalatse, Mazibuko, and the police.
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