The lack of effective implementation of a suitable crime intelligence plan in Gauteng is a crucial cause of the continued protests in Diepsloot and Riverside View, severely affecting residents and business owners.

Once again, the residents of Diepsloot have brought their frustrations to the streets, citing the lack of police visibility after one community member was shot dead over the long weekend. No arrests have been made yet.

Despite Police Minister Bheki Cele’s visit to the area in April, the high levels of violent crime and homicide in Diepsloot, have not been addressed.

We understand the community's anger and disappointment, but we implore them not to disrupt businesses and traders and to protest peacefully without blocking roads.

The blocking of roads makes it difficult for residents to travel, prevents access for ambulances and fire trucks, and limits service delivery.

MEC Mazibuko must provide solutions and urgent interventions to address the rise in crime in the area. These should include providing updates on the installation of CCTV cameras in high-risk areas of Diepsloot.

Between January to March 2023, there were 20 murders in Diepsloot, up from 11 in 2022 for the same period. Diepsloot Police Station, which serves wards 95 and 113, is also seventh in Gauteng and 28th in the country for the most rape cases reported.

Unfortunately, many crime prevention mechanisms initiated in the DA-run Western Cape are not implemented in Gauteng's crime hotspots.

Initiatives such as Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), aimed at assisting the SAPS to root out organised crime and drug trafficking in the Western Cape, has seen some success with the murder rate dropping in several police precincts where the 'LEAP' and K9 officers are deployed. Mfuleni precinct, for example, fell from the 1st to the 7th rank in terms of the number of reported murders, and Nyanga precinct has dropped from the country's 5th most violent precinct by murder rate to the 22nd.

The DA has for several years been calling for the Gauteng Department of Community Safety to adopt the DA's Community Safety Bill, which consists of an integrated and strategic approach to combating crime. Because the Gauteng Provincial Government seems apathetic about residents' safety, it has repeatedly rejected the bill and opted to work in silos.

Today we sit with an aggrieved community that has taken to the streets out of frustration because there is no turnaround strategy from this government to safeguard the Diepsloot community from criminal activity.

The DA has a solution to violent crime in Gauteng, which is the DA's Community Safety Bill, which MEC Mazibuko must consider.

The DA remains concerned about the safety of Gauteng residents and will continue to fight for measures that effectively prevent the scourge of crime.

 

Issued by Crezane Bosch MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Community Safety