Crime activist skeptical Western Cape's revised Safety Plan will reduce crime on the Cape Flats

Anti-crime activist Lynn Philipps said that she doesn't believe the Western Cape's revised Safety Plan will help reduce crime on the Cape Flats.

Premier Alan Winde introduced the province's Safety Plan in 2019 as a comprehensive plan to reduce and prevent crime.

This week, a revised plan for 2025 to 2030 was presented before the Standing Committee on the Premier and Constitutional Matters.

It includes increased focus in areas with the highest violent crimes, addressing the under-resourcing of SAPS in the province, strengthening the function of CPFs, and the devolution of policing powers.

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The Western Cape Safety Plan 2.0 comes as communities on the Cape Flats, such as Mitchells Plain, Mfuleni, Khayelitsha, and Muizenberg, are under siege from gun and gang violence.

Mitchells Plain anti-crime activist Lynn Philipps said while she welcomes the provincial government's plans to fight crime, she doesn't think it will make much of a difference.

"Over the many years, there have been plans, but there was no real impact in our communities. Instead, crime has drastically increased on the Cape Flats."

She said that for the plan to work, it needs to start addressing socio-economic challenges, which are the root causes of crime and criminality.