JOHANNESBURG - Residents in Eldorado Park claim they have little hope in police to fight crime.
This comes just a day after the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) descended to the crime ridden community on Wednesday.
But a day after their presence was not seen.
READ | Residents disappointed after soldiers fail to return
Eldorado Park Ward Councillor, Juwairiya Kaldine said the absence of the army has left residents in despair as they remain gripped by ongoing violence and a growing death toll with young children often falling victim.
“I don't know if it was content creation or what? But we were ecstatic because we felt safe. And a mother crying like that is so disappointing because she does not know if her son is safe,” Kaldine said.
Kaldine was referring to Mercedes Delport whose son was shot two months ago while walking to a tuckshop.
Delport described the fear and uncertainty her family has lived with since the attack.
She said the area remains dangerous, with ongoing robberies and drug-related crime.
She even pleaded for the return of the SANDF members for their safety.
There have been mixed reactions in the deployment of the SANDF members in parts of Johannesburg as Ian Cameron, National Assembly Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police claimed that the deployment was not approved by Parliament.
But, when President Cyril Ramaphosa answered questions in Parliament on Thursday he defended the troop deployment.
Ramaphosa insisted that the move did not indicate a failure of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
READ | Ramaphosa defends troop deployment
He reinterested the need for the deployment by the SANDF to complement efforts of the SAPS in fighting gangsterism and illicit mining while also bring stability to communities.
Ramaphosa said the SANDF have been deployed to support police and operate under police command with clear rules of engagement and for specific time-limited objectives.
But Kaldine disagreed with the President on the SAPS’s capabilities to fight crime claiming they do not have functioning police stations with some cops working in silos.
She said it is for these reasons that there could not be an integrated approach in terms of working together to curb violence and crime in our communities.