CAPE TOWN - Over a dozen people were shot dead over the weekend.
Another shocking statistic from the City of Cape Town, where an average of 16 murders is recorded every week.
With the situation at a boiling point, Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile is putting four areas on the Cape Flats under lockdown.
Criminologist Dr Simon Howell, from the University of Cape Town, says illegal firearms continue to flood into communities and until police get a handle on this circulation, these crimes will continue
Howell adds that resource deployment within the SAPS and the way policing is carried out remain key concerns.
He argues that policing alone won’t fix the crisis and that there must be efforts to move beyond a policing-only response.
“It is not to say that the police are the only government agency that deals with various issues that exist in the Cape Flats and other areas. Essentially social investment is needed to address many of these conditions, including unemployment, [school safety], and concerns around law enforcement,” Howell said.
He believes an integrated strategy, involving multiple sectors of society, is the only way to break the cycle of violence.