ANC slams WC DA's failing to curb shootings and gang violence in province

The African National Congress (ANC) has slammed the Democratic Alliance-led Western Cape government for failing to curb shootings and gang violence in the province.

Ongoing shootings continued this week when three people were shot dead in Mitchells Plain on Wednesday night.

A statistic recently presented by the Democratic Alliance shows gang-related shootings in the province have left more than 800 people dead in the past year.

The Western Cape government's safety plan was scrutinised by members of the provincial parliament yesterday during a debate on the ongoing violent crime sweeping through the province.

The ANC's Rachel Windvogel said, "In 2019, this government launched its much-publicised safety plan with great fanfare, promising to halve the murder rate by 2029. Six years later, the results show that the murder rate has worsened year after year."

MEC for Health and Wellness Nomafrench Mbombo said the Western Cape is a microcosm of a national safety crisis.

" The crimes we face here mirror the broader challenges confronting South Africa. We must ask, which ANC policies and programmes have brought us to this state of shame? On paper, the ANC policies on crime and safety look good, but in practice, they fail."    
 
Mbombo said the national government's reduction in funding to NGOs has hindered early childhood interventions leading to more crime in the province.