CAPE TOWN - Parliament is embarking on a solution-driven mission to tackle the country’s escalating gang violence crisis.
The Police Portfolio Committee is launching an inquiry into the ongoing killings, despite the deployment of soldiers under Operation Prosper.
The move comes after a spate of deadly shootings in Cape Town, with 11 people killed and two others injured in three separate incidents in Langa, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha.
Police Portfolio Committee Chair Ian Cameron says the inquiry must put families and communities at the centre of the process.
Cameron says residents living with gang violence every day should have an opportunity to explain what they believe needs to be done to address the crisis.
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He says communities are too often excluded when new strategies to combat gang violence are introduced, despite being the people most affected.
Cameron says the inquiry will provide an opportunity for residents to share their lived experiences and help shape solutions.
He also stresses that victims and their families must not be reduced to statistics.
Cameron says gang violence is often described simply as another murder, but each killing leaves families and entire communities dealing with deep trauma and living in what he describes as abnormal circumstances.
The inquiry, he says, is therefore not only about scrutinising existing efforts to tackle gang violence, but also about listening to affected communities and using their experiences as the foundation for a more effective response.