CAPE TOWN - Death and violence have become part of daily life in the Western Cape.
Police operations, including Shanela 1 and 2, as well as the army’s Operation Prosper, have made little difference. Now, Parliament has stepped in.
A gang unit in Parliament has brought affected communities, academics, NGOs and clergy together to find solutions.
Up to 90 people were killed in seven days in August, with 60 of those deaths recorded on the Cape Flats.
“Communities need short-term relief, and I don’t see an aggressive enough approach by the police,” says Police Portfolio Committee Chairperson Ian Cameron.
He says turf wars, orders from behind bars and extortion have contributed to recent flare-ups. Communities are fighting back in the only way they know how, but that is creating a never-ending cycle of violence.
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Criminologist and gang summit facilitator Irvin Kinnes says some gangs are using tactics reminiscent of the country’s dark past.
He is now calling for the Madlanga Commission’s terms of reference to be extended to include gang violence.