Fifty people have been killed in gang-related violence in Cape Town in the last week. Where are the soldiers?
Even though soldiers are in hotspot areas, the killings are continuing. Which is why we’re calling for an intelligence-led approach rather than broad visibility alone.
You’ve been calling for that for years. Are you any closer?
Unfortunately not.
Is the army deployment anything more than a pre-election PR stunt?
I’m cautious to say that. But they said 547 soldiers would be coming. We’ve only seen about 200. I’ve asked [Western Cape police commissioner] Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile for detailed feedback so we can hear exactly what’s going on.
Do you agree with community sources who say what’s going on is that gang violence is increasing?
Yes, definitely.
Did you warn acting police minister Firoz Cachalia that you had serious doubts about army deployment?
I’ve been vocal about my concerns. What’s more concerning is that our SAPS officers have to almost take care of the SANDF. They’re already understaffed, and now they almost babysit the SANDF. That’s a problem for me.
What about the absence of an operational plan?
We’ve asked for an operational plan several times. SAPS don’t want to give it out because they don’t want to alert beforehand what they’re going to do.
They feel they’d be compromising security by sharing it with you?
Yes, they do feel that way. It will be with national, but our province has to have the operational plan, otherwise we can do nothing.
Are you sure there actually is an operational plan?
Yes, they do have an operational plan, but they didn’t want to give it to me. Hopefully, I will have some information next week
Does it inspire any confidence that SAPS senior management itself stands accused of leaking information to gangs?
No, unfortunately it doesn’t. But we do whatever we can in our hotspot areas, and, importantly, it is intelligence-driven.
What is your investigations unit doing?
They do whatever they can to curb this terrible gang violence.
Would you agree that it’s getting worse?
Yes, unfortunately I have to agree. But it’s organised crime, and it’s complex and difficult to curb.
Are your law enforcement officers able to secure evidence and build dockets?
It’s difficult for them. It must go through the prosecution and the court, and that’s where we really have problems.
Is that why there’s only a 5% conviction rate?
It is very low, and that’s a big concern. The problem is they don’t build dockets. That’s why we’ve asked for the expansion of our intelligence and investigation powers.
Didn’t the acting minister commit to this almost a year ago?
Yes. We’re looking at how we can demand it in a much stronger way.
What do you make of the gangs showing what they feel about the army by holding street parties to celebrate their arrival in hotspot areas?
It reinforces our calls for an intelligence-led approach to ending gang-related crime rather than broad visibility alone. Deploying the army on the streets is not going to do it. It may bring some relief, but at this moment there is no relief; it’s getting worse.
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