“I can confirm there were six murders in Diepsloot since the beginning of June. We have made several arrests. including six suspects in a case of attempted murder and house robbery.”
In April 2022, Cele promised to deal with crime in the township by bringing in 16 patrol vehicles to add to the station's six and deploy detectives to investigate unsolved murders.
At the time Cele said the police station, which was opened in 2016, only had six cars servicing the township.
Cele's spokesperson Lirandzu Themba told Sowetan the ministry is on record as saying police alone will not be able to eradicate crime.
“Drivers of crime have to be addressed by local and provincial governments and this will go a long way in assuring police to protect communities.”
City of Johannesburg finance MMC Dada Morero said there were plans to develop Diepsloot, which includes some programmes for roads.
“There is a lot that is being done. The bigger issue in Diepsloot is to focus on combating crime which is escalating to levels that are unacceptable.
“There is also encroachment and buildings without municipal approval so those are some of the bylaws we need to enforce. There is a budget allocated for development,” Morero said.
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Crime hotspot Diepsloot flares up again
Community complains about high criminality
Image: Thulani Mbele
At least 20 people were killed in Diepsloot, northern Johannesburg, in the first three months of the year (January to March), making it one of the most dangerous places to live in Gauteng.
Since the beginning of June, six people were murdered in the area, police have confirmed.
It is this murderous streak coupled with low police visibility in the densely populated area that residents said sparked another community uprising yesterday, just over a year after police minister Bheki Cele promised intervention to deal with crime in the area.
On Tuesday residents blocked main roads leading into the township in protest against high levels of crime.
According to crime stats released by provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela last week, 17 cases of robbery in residential homes were reported in the first three months of the year in Diepsloot, compared with 57 in the same period in 2022.
This either means there were fewer robberies this year or many residents have lost so much faith in the police they do not bother reporting such crimes.
Police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili told Sowetan on Tuesday the management of police in Diepsloot has mobilised units to monitor the protests.
“The community is complaining of [lack of] police visibility and high crime levels, an influx of illegal immigrants who are allegedly committing crime and service delivery issues. These are mostly residents in informal settlements that have challenges with environmental design,” she said.
Muridili said police vehicles were not able to get into the “congested areas for patrols, especially at night, as there is no electricity”.
“During the day, there are foot patrols by all law enforcement agencies — police, crime wardens, metro police,community policing forum and patrollers. During the night, law enforcement agencies patrol with blue lights for visibility but they’re not able to access those areas.
“Station management will continue to engage community leaders and community-based structures as well as other departments (home affairs, housing, municipality and so on) to find long-term solutions to service delivery issues in Diepsloot,” Muridili said.
Police monitor Diepsloot amid violent protests
“I can confirm there were six murders in Diepsloot since the beginning of June. We have made several arrests. including six suspects in a case of attempted murder and house robbery.”
In April 2022, Cele promised to deal with crime in the township by bringing in 16 patrol vehicles to add to the station's six and deploy detectives to investigate unsolved murders.
At the time Cele said the police station, which was opened in 2016, only had six cars servicing the township.
Cele's spokesperson Lirandzu Themba told Sowetan the ministry is on record as saying police alone will not be able to eradicate crime.
“Drivers of crime have to be addressed by local and provincial governments and this will go a long way in assuring police to protect communities.”
City of Johannesburg finance MMC Dada Morero said there were plans to develop Diepsloot, which includes some programmes for roads.
“There is a lot that is being done. The bigger issue in Diepsloot is to focus on combating crime which is escalating to levels that are unacceptable.
“There is also encroachment and buildings without municipal approval so those are some of the bylaws we need to enforce. There is a budget allocated for development,” Morero said.
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