Diepsloot: Mawela calls on community to help root out criminals
Gauteng Police Commissioner Elias Mawela says while there are challenges with policing in Diepsloot, he believes residents are still willing to work with the police to fight crime.
Diepsloot residents have been protesting since the beginning of the week over high crime and poor policing in the area.
A small group took their plight to the Union Buildings on Wednesday to demand an audience with the president, while labelling the 2022 interventions by Police Minister Bheki Cele, and his Home Affairs counterpart Aaron Motsoaledi, unsuccessful.
The commissioner says several factors, such as spatial planning, lack of electricity and streetlamps, and the growing trend of ‘shack farming’ have resulted in some areas in the township becoming crime hotspots.
“It’s not the whole of Diepsloot; you have extensions 12 and 13 in a place that was called Adelaide Tambo and that is where the government relocated people from that area to Riverside, but there are a lot of people who occupied the space illegally and undocumented people have also come in in their numbers.
“That area is not accessible, and that is where we have a lot of problems. Then there’s extension 1 which is very dark [at night].”
Last year Minister Cele deployed more than 100 officers and 16 vehicles following a similar protest where Zimbabwean national Elvis Nyathi was burnt to death.
Immigration officers as well as customs officials were also sent to the area to address complaints of illegal migrants and businesses.
[WATCH]: The @GP_CommSafety MEC @FaithMazibukoSA speaks on the recent Diepsloot protests and the plans by the Provincial Government to mitigate their issues. #GrowingasaferGauteng pic.twitter.com/qhM44dBftG
— GP Department of Community Safety (@GP_CommSafety) June 21, 2023
Mawela says a stakeholder meeting he held at the troubled township on Tuesday, revealed the community still wants to work together with the police.
There have been reports the recent protests were sparked by the killing of a former community policing forum chairperson last Monday by alleged robbers, who had attacked a local shop owner before making off with money and some stock.
He adds that this collaboration resulted in the arrest of suspects accused of attacking a mother and her teenage son.
“On Saturday there was a house robbery whereby a 48-year-old mother was hacked, and her 16-year-old son was shot at. Through the grace of G*d they are still alive, and they are being attended to in hospital.
“The community assist us and with a quick response six people were arrested. They appeared before court and bail was denied.”
Facial recognition CCTV cameras were installed in Diepsloot last month, and Mawela says the newly-qualified drone pilots will be deployed to the township.
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