Joint statement by Minister Anroux Marais and Alderman JP Smith

Joint statement by Anroux Marais, Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, and Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security in the City of Cape Town, on 08 July 2024.

The Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, held a meeting with  Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile. The meeting, which was also attended by City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith and Commissioner Robbie Robberts, was aimed at addressing the strategy to deal with the flare up in gang violence affecting numerous communities across the Cape Town.

Lieutenant-General Patekile stated that over the past weekend, the South African Police Service (SAPS) deployed an additional 100 members to areas impacted by the violence, with a particular focus on communities where the need was the greatest.

The key issue of inadequate policing resources, specifically for the Grassy Park and Steenberg policing precincts, was raised.  
Minister Marais reaffirmed the Western Cape Government’s (WCG) ongoing support for the SAPS through the Law Enforcment Advancement Programme (LEAP), along with other municipal law enforcement agencies. “Before we can decide exactly on the strategy we will all agree on, it is important for us to understand what the real picture is across other communities as well,” Minister Marais said.

An agreement was reached that a follow-up meeting with be held within 48 hours, where current data from other SAPS precincts will be shared.

Alderman Smith said: “Every effort has been made by the City of Cape Town (CoCT) to assist the SAPS in this regard. We have made available all the resources we can and offered access to our Drone Units and ISR eye-in-the-sky platform. Several months ago, we tried our best to get on top of the situation and we approached a senior official within the SAPS, to arrange locking an area down for several days by flooding it with resources. Our intention was to sift through the entire community, raking up all those who were currently wanted on outstanding warrants, cleaning out an area, before moving on to the next, where we would repeat the cycle. Several months ago, a certain SAPS General said they would consider it. When questioned again last week on this, the reply given now was a straight-out ‘No.’ It angers me that we want to partner with the SAPS and offer our resources, but we are plainly rejected while communities are left suffering.”

The Minister questioned Commissioner Patekile on this and he stated he was not aware of the request or the resources offered, and vowed to consider this urgently.

Minister Marais drew attention to the damage inadvertently caused by holding onto information and not sharing it with fellow stakeholders. “Crime data is important and we accept the fact that traditionally in the past all crime cases and category information are shared only on a quarterly basis. This does not serve the interests of the communities we are meant to be serving, neither does it assist the police service because as the WCG, we could assist by arranging that additional provincial or municipal resources be redirected to areas most in need. That decision must be made immediately. Instead, we are all only made aware of it 3 to 4 months after the event. This is not ‘crime intelligence,’ it is a crime history lesson,” said Minister Marais.

“We appeal to the Provincial Commissioner to accept us as partners in making communities safer and more prosperous. We want to help but we need there to be the will from the SAPS to see us working together out there, where it really matters,” said Alderman Smith.