'Bullets go through doors': Residents fearful as military deploys to gang-riddled areas

A Hanover Park neighbourhood watch member says that without community involvement in safety initiatives, gang violence will continue unabated, even with the presence of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the area.

President Cyril Ramaphosa last week announced that the SANDF will be deployed to gang-riddled areas in the Western Cape and Gauteng. Ramaphosa says the SANDF will join law enforcement agencies to curb gang violence in both provinces.

Hanover Park neighbourhood watch volunteer, Shamiema Davids, says gang violence has the entire community gripped in fear.

"Our children can't play outside. They even can't play inside their house because the bullets go through the doors and the windows. We can't even take our children to the park because that is a red zone."

Davids does not believe the SANDF deployment will make a difference.

"What is the army going to come do? Who are they going to come catch? Why must the army come here? Why didn't they call the army in the first place? What are they going to come do... hit our children, torture our children?"

Davids says government should be involving neighbourhood watches and community policing forums in its plans to tackle gang violence.