DA cannot absolve itself from failing to tackle gangs, say opposition

THE DA in the Western Cape has been accused of shifting the blame to the national government while taking little responsibility itself for failing to curb the escalating gang violence in the city. 

The latest incident in Manenberg on Thursday resulted in the killing of three men while the fourth sustained gunshot wounds during a shooting in Renoster Road. 

“Detectives attached to the #AntiGangUnit have initiated an investigation into the incident and are pursuing all leads to track down those responsible. The motive for the shooting is believed to be linked to ongoing gang conflict in the area,” said police.  

That shooting occurred as the DA tabled a motion in the provincial legislature calling for urgent and substantive child reform measures to address the environment that allows children to become both victims and perpetrators.

However EFF MPL  Aishah Cassiem said it was shocking that the DA will sponsor a debate while being  part of the national government under the GNU. 

“The reality is crime has increased under the watch of the DA who has been governing for almost two decades.  If they were serious, it wouldn’t take them two decades to find solutions to this issue. Because of the DA, gangsterism is going unchallenged. Policing (alone) is never going to work,” said. 

Al Jah Mah MPL, Galil Brihkhuis said the DA-run province “must stop blaming the national government, while they received a budget” to govern. 

The provincial executive had “mastered the art of blaming others” while taking very little responsibility itself, said leader of the opposition, ANC MPL, Khalid Sayed. 

“If the Premier is serious about confronting organised crime, then he must also confront the Western Cape government’s own failures in addressing the root causes of gangsterism: poverty, unemployment, school dropouts, and the lack of youth opportunities.”  

GOOD MPL, Brett Herron said: “The DA has been in control of the Western Cape, on its own, for nearly 20 years. If the best it can do is to blame the national government for spiralling violence, we must ask what’s the point of having a provincial tier of government at all?”  

DA MPL and Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC, Anroux Marias cited a Western Cape Safety Plan 2.0 as their plan. 

“Crime and violence are not created in a vacuum, they are symptoms of broader socioeconomic realities. By tackling the underlying drivers of violence, economic exclusion, limited opportunities, and social disconnection, we can create an environment in which crime struggles to take root. This integrated approach lies at the heart of our Western Cape Safety Plan 2.0.”

Cape Times