Crime surge sparks calls to oust top cop

THE release of the latest crime statistics have intensified pressure on Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile, with mounting calls for him to be axed amid spiraling violence.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

Independent crime researcher Calvin Rafadi said Patekile should be replaced, warning that decisive leadership changes are essential if violent crime persists.

He also recommended rotating Anti-Gang Unit members to reduce exposure and corruption risks, and strengthening the National Prosecuting Authority's Asset Forfeiture Unit to freeze and seize the assets of gang leaders, disrupting the financial infrastructure that fuels recruitment of vulnerable youth.

Rafadi has renewed his call for the national government to deploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as a force multiplier to support the under-resourced Western Cape SAPS.

"Communities remain under siege from violent criminal gangs," he said, stressing that the government can act immediately by declaring crime hotspots a state of emergency, allowing SANDF support without delay.

He emphasised that SAPS and SANDF must work jointly to dismantle entrenched gang networks and taxi-industry hitmen, known locally as izinkabi, who are responsible for a large proportion of gun-related crimes.

Adding weight to these concerns, retired Brigadier Cass Goolam, who led Mitchells Plain police station, one of the province's busiest for a decade, criticised provincial leadership for dismantling proven operational teams and methodologies, misusing specialised tactical units, and failing to provide moral and practical support for officers on the ground.

Goolam, who spent more than 40 years in the police and worked closely with Major-General Jeremy Vearey and the late Major-General Andre Lincoln, warned that political interference has prioritised optics over operational effectiveness.