Where is the army?

No let-up in Cape mass shootings

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS [e-mail]

IN A province where communities have long pleaded for urgent intervention against gang violence, a question is growing louder by the day: where is the army?

More than a month after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be deployed to assist police in combating gang violence in the Western Cape, there is still no clear timeline of deployment.

In the meantime, violence continues to grip communities across the Cape Flats.

Within just 72 hours this week, three mass shootings were reported across the Cape Flats, seeing 13 people being shot and eight dead. The wave of violence has once again raised questions about how long communities must wait for the promised intervention.

In a separate incident yesterday morning, two men were shot and killed in Mfuleni, underscoring the daily reality residents face while waiting for the military deployment to materialise.

While the SANDF has already been deployed in parts of Gauteng to assist law enforcement operations, the Western Cape, where gang violence remains deeply entrenched, has yet to see the intervention.

Criminology researcher at the University of Cape Town, Simon Howell, said the delay may partly stem from the fact that soldiers are being prepared for a role that differs significantly from their traditional training.

"The military has to take on, especially in the Western Cape, a different type of operational role than they are typically trained for," Howell said.