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Last week Western Cape Premier Alan Winde wrote to President Ramaphosa and Defence Minister Nosiviwe-Mapisa Nqakula requesting that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deployment to the Western Cape be extended with certain conditions to address the shortcomings assessed over the past three months. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape would like to echo Premier Winde’s request as there has been no indication yet from the national government whether an extension would be considered.

The deployment of the SANDF to areas in Cape Town that have high levels of gang-related crimes, comes to an end today. The army’s presence has been welcomed by many residents, and should therefore continue until we see a considerable decrease in levels of crime because SAPS alone, due to under-resourcing and under-staffing, cannot deliver on its mandate to keep residents safe.

Premier Winde has therefore requested that the army be deployed in the Western Cape for a further six months with the following conditions proposed to the President:

1. Clear indicators of success and measurement tools need to be put in place to track the impact the deployment is having.
2. The Western Cape Government proposed a blended strategy which would allow for a better combination of law enforcement, community mobilization and availability of social service interventions to targeted groups.
3. A co-ordinated response from local, provincial and national government.
4. A problem-oriented approach where specific crime types are analysed and law enforcement responses are customized to areas, based on needs and requirements.
5. Criminal and violent groupings must be given clear messages that they are under scrutiny and that any violence, or acts triggering violence, will receive special attention and increased enforcement.
6. Premier Winde has undertaken to convene and chair a “Safety Cabinet” of stakeholders to co-ordinate the responses of the provincial government, City of Cape Town and the SAPS, NPA and SANDF, among others. Together, they must develop a joint plan of action to be implemented throughout the period of further deployment.

The recent Crime Statistics were a scary reminder that we still have a long way to go. Creating safer communities must be a collaborative and multi-disciplinary effort where every possible solution is explored in order to save lives.

Issued by The DA