Western Cape communities cannot continue living under the gun
Statement by Ms Bulelwa Zondeka, Chairperson of the UDM in the Western Cape
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the Western Cape extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the eleven people killed in separate shootings in Langa, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha over the weekend. We wish those injured a full recovery.
We condemn these killings in the strongest terms. But condemnation is no longer enough. For decades, Western Cape communities have endured gangsterism, drug trafficking, extortion, illegal firearms and recurring gun violence. Government cannot keep treating each mass shooting as an isolated tragedy followed by temporary intervention and promises of arrests.
The UDM in the Western Cape has repeatedly warned about the proliferation of illegal firearms and the criminal networks that sustain gun violence. Every illegal firearm recovered should trigger an investigation beyond the person carrying it: where did it come from, who supplied it, and to what other crimes can it be linked?
The suspicion that drugs and extortion may be connected to the latest violence further demonstrates that illegal firearms, gangsterism, drugs and extortion cannot be tackled separately. They form part of an organised criminal economy sustained by fear and intimidation.
The UDM in the Western Cape is particularly concerned about the relationship between affected communities and the South African Police Service (SAPS). Residents are repeatedly urged to provide information and assured that they can do so anonymously, yet people in gang-affected areas fear that doing so could expose them and their families to retaliation.
Government must take these fears seriously rather than lecture frightened communities about remaining silent. Where residents allege that confidential information supplied to law enforcement reaches criminals, those allegations must be independently investigated. Even the perception that information is compromised destroys trust, and cripples crime intelligence. The state cannot demand the courage of witnesses while failing to guarantee their safety.
The UDM in the Western Cape is equally concerned about the fragmented response to this crisis. For years, national government and the Democratic Alliance-led Western Cape Government have argued over policing resources, powers and responsibilities. The City of Cape Town has its own Metro Police and law-enforcement capacity, while SAPS remains nationally controlled. South Africa now also operates under a Government of National Unity.
After decades of bloodshed, communities should not still be caught between competing spheres of government. The criminals are integrated. Government is not. Gun traffickers, drug dealers, gangs and extortion syndicates do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. Neither can the state's response.
The UDM in the Western Cape calls for an integrated, intelligence-led intervention involving SAPS, provincial and municipal law enforcement, crime intelligence and prosecutors. The priority must be dismantling gun-trafficking, drug and extortion networks; tracing illegal firearms; protecting witnesses and informants; rooting out corruption within law enforcement; and securing successful prosecutions.
Communities across Langa, Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Hanover Park, Bonteheuwel and other affected areas have carried this burden for far too long. Repeated shootings, gang activity and intimidation cannot be allowed to become an accepted part of daily life.
The Western Cape does not need another cycle of outrage, temporary intervention and eventual silence. National, provincial and local government may continue debating their respective powers and responsibilities, but communities cannot remain collateral damage in that argument.
The people of the Western Cape do not care which sphere of government wins the argument over policing powers. They want the killing to stop.
