Parliament has begun its inquiry into gang violence in the Western Cape.
It opened its investigation with the Parliamentary Summit on Gang-Related Violence on Wednesday, which also involved affected members of the public, researchers and policing authorities in the discussion.
The inquiry is aimed at examining the causes and effects of gang-related violence, including the criminal networks, illicit firearms, drug markets and financial systems that sustain gangs.
Portfolio Committee on Police chairperson Ian Cameron said the investigation must go beyond measuring police activity and establish whether interventions actually make communities safer.
“Gang violence is not an abstract policy problem. It decides whether a child can walk to school, whether a mother can send her children to the shop, which streets an ambulance may enter, whether a witness will speak, and whether a family sleeps in a bed or on the floor when the shooting starts.”
The summit comes as Operation Prosper, involving the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force, continues in gang-affected areas.
Parliament has raised concerns about intelligence-sharing, cooperation between police and soldiers, and whether operations are reaching the leaders of organised crime.
Meanwhile, the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition (C4), which also made submissions during Wednesday’s Summit, welcomed the parliamentary process but warned against another round of promises.
“I think it was also very important to hear voices from the communities. There were parents who lost children through gang violence. Communities voiced their own frustration with the police and other state institutions that have failed to provide safety and protection. I am confident that we are moving in the right direction,” said C4 chairperson, Dr Llwellyn MacMaster.
As part of its submission, C4 chairperson Dr Llwellyn MacMaster said the coalition called for a comprehensive national strategy, stronger community participation, specialised detectives and parliamentary oversight to ensure that commitments translate into lasting action.
