Western Cape is a crime scene, says ANC’s Khalid Sayed on gangsterism pandemic

The Western Cape is a crime scene and urgent action is needed, says Khalid Sayed.

This was the message from the leader of the opposition in the provincial legislature during a debate on the region’s rampant crime on Thursday. The debate followed the release of a long-awaited report on possible infiltration in the South African Police Service (SAPS) Western Cape leadership by elements of organised crime, specifically the 28s gang.

The report from the Western Cape police ombudsman came after a 2022 bail appeal judgment handed down by judge Daniel Thulare.

Western Cape premier Alan Winde said the scope of the ombudman’s investigation was to “advise me, within 14 days, on what course of action I was empowered to take”.

The report advised “despite the serious nature of the allegations, the provisions of the Western Cape Community Safety Act are not invoked to appoint a commission of inquiry”.

The ombudsman provided the provincial cabinet with three options:

• The first two options entailed “action being taken against the provincial commissioner of police, with his potential removal from the post. This was considered inappropriate as the allegations emanated from his predecessor,” said Winde.
• The third option was waiting for the outcomes of ongoing parallel investigations led by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) and SAPS bodies, said Winde.

The ombudsman’s final report was handed to Winde on November 17 2022. There had been significant pressure from opposition parties and civil society groups to release the report.

The provincial government needs to ensure the systemic issues that are leading to gang violence, drug abuse and the crime scene that is the Western Cape are dealt with.

—  Khallid Sayed, ANC Western Cape leader

In a statement Winde acknowledged positive movement with acting police minister Firoz Cachalia since entering office. However, he said the response from national bodies had been slow.

“I am tabling the report I received from the ombudsman to this house. To date, I have not done so to demonstrate good faith with the SAPS and Ipid, and to protect those involved with the investigation. Three witnesses have been murdered. It is for this reason I have ensured the relevant identities have been redacted in the report being tabled,” said Winde.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Sayed said the ANC welcomed the release of the report but said it had come far too late.

“The excuses ring hollow, but again it shows what can be done if the opposition and civil society are focused and apply the necessary pressure. The provincial government needs to ensure the systemic issues that are leading to gang violence, drug abuse and the crime scene that is the Western Cape are dealt with,” he said.

He said they send their condolences to families of victims who lost their lives to violence in recent days. Earlier this week, a shooting at the Nyanga taxi rank led to the death of two women.

“This is a further indication the Western Cape is a crime scene. You are not going to bring peace by only focusing on issues of policing. The oppositions need to work together with civil society. We need to unite to drive sustainable solutions,” said Sayed.

In his opening statement on Thursday, Winde described gang violence as a pandemic. “The lives of innocent children, mothers, fathers and grandparents have been senselessly taken, destroying families and the fabric of communities,” he said.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the debate, Winde said “the scourge of crime” is why they had been calling for the devolution of policing powers.

Communities feel abandoned as gangs tighten their grip and law enforcement is overwhelmed. Words of sympathy no longer serve us. The time for action is now

—  Donna Stephens, Patriotic Alliance

“We need to change our ways. We need to attack the scourge of crime and violence across our country. We need more anger and more urgency and we need to do something proactively,” he said. “It is time to fix the system because we owe it to the families of slain individuals.”

Brett Herron, GOOD‘s secretary-general, said gang violence was a “pandemic that has robbed far too many of people of peace, safety and hope ... What the honourable premier fails to acknowledge is that while he speaks of unity and decisive action, our communities continue to bleed under his government’s watch. Children are being shot while walking to school. Mothers sleep on the floor to avoid stray bullets.

“He must confront the Western Cape government’s failures in addressing the root causes of gangsterism, which are poverty, unemployment, school dropouts and the lack of youth opportunities.”

Donna Stephens of the Patriotic Alliance said people in the Western Cape were living under siege. “Week after week, another child or person is brutally murdered in our communities. These are not statistics; they are our sons and daughters, robbed of their futures while government responses remain slow and fragmented,” she said.

“Communities feel abandoned as gangs tighten their grip and law enforcement is overwhelmed. Words of sympathy no longer serve us. The time for action is now.”

Her party calls for intervention and “deployment of the South African National Defence Force to support the SAPS in restoring order alongside bold long-term solutions to address the poverty, joblessness and hopelessness that fuels this crisis,” she added.

Corruption within the criminal justice system has been in the spotlight in recent weeks in the Madlanga commission of inquiry and parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

TimesLIVE