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The people of the Western Cape need accountability from the Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, backed by urgent interventions from the South African Police Service.

For this reason, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape has called on the Acting Minister and the Provincial Commissioner of SAPS to appear at the Standing Committee on Police Oversight and Community Safety to provide an update on SAPS response to gang violence and the prevalence of illegal firearms in the province.

The people of the Western Cape deserve to know what urgent interventions are being implemented to curb gang violence, remove illegal firearms from our streets, and strengthen policing in the province. The Acting Minister must take residents into his confidence by outlining a clear plan to restore safety.

His failure to engage comes as another violent weekend has left communities traumatised. Two mass shootings in the past four days underscore the severity of the crisis. In Kanana informal settlement in Gugulethu, two women and a man were murdered in a hail of gunfire, while three more people were shot in a separate incident in Manenberg. These attacks are a grim reminder that many of our communities continue to resemble war zones.

Benedicta van Minnen, MPP, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety said: “The DA renews its call on the national government to allocate additional policing resources to the Western Cape, where the burden of violent crime far exceeds the current policing capacity. Every life lost to gun violence represents a failure of the criminal justice system to protect our communities.  Residents have the right to feel safe in their homes, on their streets, and in public spaces. Criminals must be removed from our communities and face the full might of the law if we are to see a meaningful improvement in public safety.”

The DA will continue to use every available oversight mechanism to hold SAPS and the national government accountable. We appeal that the Minister honour the invitation to appear before the Standing Committee and provide the people of the Western Cape with a credible plan to combat gang violence. His silence at a time when communities are living under siege, is unacceptable.

Issued by: Benedicta van Minnen MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety