SA needs a serious plan to combat gangs and organised crime syndicates - Cachalia

CAPE TOWN - Interim Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said that the country needed a serious plan to combat gangs and organised crime syndicates.

Cachalia visited crime-ridden areas on the Cape Flats on Tuesday, including Mitchells Plain and the country's murder capital, Mfuleni.

He received firsthand accounts from residents in these areas on how gang-related violence and drugs had turned their lives upside down.

Muizenberg, Atlantis, and Athlone have also seen an uptick of gun violence recently.

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The interim policeminister said that the country's plan to fight organised crime syndicates needed serious improvement

Cachalia said that criminals were becoming tech savvy and the government needed to be a step ahead if it wants to win the war on crime.

"And I will be communicating with colleagues in the JCPS Cluster and with the president because we are behind the curve. I'm not saying this to scare you, I'm saying this because I think we must face up to the situation we are now confronted with."

He added that the cooperation agreement to combat crime, signed by SAPS and the provincial government last year, needed to be revisited.