Maimane on CPT crime: “Ministers’ German cars must be given to SAPS”

DA leader, Mmusi Maimane addressed residents and the policing community of Bonteheuwel, in the Cape Flats, about the DA’s fight against crime and gang violence.

Mmusi Maimane raises issues about crime in Cape Town

“We need more police visibility”

The leader’s latest comments on the scourge of violent crime in Cape Town come days after the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was deployed into key hotspot areas identified by law enforcement as crisis zones.

While Maimane acknowledged that the deployment was a needed response from national government, it was not a permanent solution since the police are still largely under-resourced.

“Many communities across the Western Cape are under constant attack from gangsters, and a state of lawlessness has taken over the streets in these areas. The single biggest reason for this is the under-resourcing and under-capacitating of SAPS stations.

“This crisis has reached a point where the Western Cape government has decided to approach the courts in order to compel national government to deploy sufficient police resources,” he stated.

The DA leader further stated that without increased police visibility, they will never win the fight against crime.

Major issues such as the large strain some police stations take on due to the scarcity of SAPS offices in most dangerous neighbourhoods have forced the provincial government to be creative about their efforts to combat criminals.

Maimane indicated that areas like Bonteheuwel are prime examples of why crime has gripped the community in fear, since there is no police station in the area.

The ever-present ‘Bobby on the Beat’

He revealed that policing matters in Bonteheuwel fell under the Bishop Lavis SAPS. The same police station caters its services to Montana, Charlesville, Valhalla Park, Nooitgedacht, Freedom Farm, as well as Kalksteenfontein 1 and 2.

“Since the City of Cape Town launched the Neighbourhood Safety Team in Bonteheuwel on the 2nd of July, the effect on gang crime has been remarkable. This NST comprises 100 Law Enforcement Officers deployed in two shifts of 50 each, and they provide a permanent presence on the streets of Bonteheuwel. This ever-present “Bobby on the Beat” clearly makes criminals think twice,” he added.

“Hand ministers high-end cars over to SAPS”

Maimane promised to engage national government on outsourcing funds for the purchase of high-performance vehicles for law enforcement in Cape Town, much like the party achieved in Tshwane.

He noted that the high-end VIP protection and multi-car convoys ministers often travel in were needed elsewhere, where it mattered the most.

“In Tshwane, the Metro Police’s anti-hijack team now has the use of a fleet of BMWs that were originally bought by the previous ANC government for politicians. And in NMB the City, while under the control of the DA, built a brand new Metro Police Department from scratch.

“Within two years, NMB had 154 Metro Police officers, 3 satellite stations, 10 vehicles, a bicycle unit, a plainclothes squad and a 24-hour call centre,” Maimane exclaimed.

The province’s leader vowed to take more action in holding national government to account and bring safety to the streets of the crime-ridden communities of Cape Town.