SANDF deployment: Gun violence continues unabated on the Cape Flats

By Mihle Gorge

Gun violence continues unabated on the Cape Flats, a month since the army was deployed to the Western Cape.

About 200 soldiers have been deployed under Operation Prosper to help police fight violent and organised crime across the metro’s crime hotspots.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has also raised its concerns over continued high levels of violence, with at least more than 80 murders in the first two weeks of the operation.

The party’s Benedicta van Minnen said there are strong indications that the murder statistics have stayed the same or worsened in the aftermath of the SANDF deployment.

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“If deploying the army was meant to stop the killing, the numbers tell a brutal truth. The bullets haven't slowed and the funerals haven't stopped. The SANDF is not able to prevent crime, nor investigate it once it occurs- that is the job of SAPS but they are too riven by internal issues and shortages to be effective “

The DA said it will continue to push for the devolution of policing powers in the Western Cape, arguing that this move could help create safer communities across the province.

However, Gun Free SA’s Executive Director, Stanley Maphosa, said while they welcome the debate on strengthening safety responses, devolving policing powers is not a silver bullet.

“The issue is not only who has the powers, but whether these institutions have the capacity, the intelligence, the coordination, the accountability and the resources that are necessary to ensure that this problem is solved.”