Locals doubt SANDF will bring lasting safety to communities

FOR years, communities on the Cape Flats have been plagued by gun violence, gang fights over drug turf, and the tragedy of child murders, to name a few.

- BY MARSHA DEAN

Communities and organisations rallied for the president to hear the cries of affected mothers and families to deploy the South African Defence Force (SANDF) to stabilise their communities.

For many, it was a massive relief and a small victory when the president announced that the SANDF would be deployed in the Western Cape during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week.

However, some feel that the army's presence will only be a temporary solution to a bigger problem.

A resident from Delft, who wants to protect her identity, said that they are living among murderers.

The inwoner said: “We welcome the coming of the National Defence Force, but that is not the solution; we need successful convictions.

“The court of law is what’s actually failing us.

“We live among murderers, rapists, and hardcore criminals who have serious cases against them, but they are outside in the same communities where they committed these crimes.

“What about those victims and their families who never got to see justice?”

The resident added that this fear has led to hopelessness and a lack of faith in policing.

She added: “That is also why people are not forthcoming with information because the witnesses are not protected.

“We have seen witnesses intimidated and also killed. That is why victims stay silent and don't open cases because they have lost faith in the justice system.

“They say ‘los maar, hulle gaan niks oorkom nie’, because the criminals can get away with murder. It is a sick cycle.

“When the army comes, I don’t think the crime is going to stop; there are still people who are going to continue doing illegal acts.