Wentworth demands urgent intervention as gang violence claims more lives

DRUG TRADE

- YOSHINI PERUMAL

RESIDENTS stand together to end the violence.

(DOCTOR NGCOBO Independent Newspapers)

WENTWORTH community leaders have delivered a formal memorandum to the office of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, demanding he fulfil his promise of additional police deployments to address rampant gang violence.

With 97% of residents feeling unsafe and shootings becoming a daily reality, the community is seeking urgent intervention through a five-point action plan that includes independent police oversight, increased police presence, tackling the drug trade, anti-gang youth programmes, and criminal justice system reforms.

Two weeks ago, Ntuli released a statement where he said he would engage with the KZN police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to ensure the immediate deployment of additional police officers to Wentworth.

He said this was aimed at strengthening police visibility, and restoring peace and stability in the area."

Ntuli said his office was planning to take the premier's crime-fighting imbizo to Wentworth, where he would engage directly with the community.

He said he would be accompanied by law-enforcement and crime-fighting agencies operating across KZN.

Ntuli added he was deeply concerned over the recurring gun-related violence that continued to destabilise communities across the province. He emphasised that tackling violent crime required a coordinated and multisectoral approach, involving the SAPS, community police structures, local municipalities, and all spheres of government.