Lerato Mbhiza
Disgruntled Diepsloot residents are marching to City of Joburg and SAPS offices to demand answers from the authorities following several protests against the escalation of crime.
The residents have said they have been forgotten and in the area They say the community has been and community leader, Sicelo Shezi, said they were concerned about the persistent challenge of crime within their community, following four separate murders over the weekend.
Despite efforts to address crime-related issues, including the implementation of mob justice where seven alleged criminals were tortured and killed by community members last year, crime remains a significant concern.
Shezi emphasised the importance of collaboration between the public and the police to apprehend those responsible for the recent murders.
“It is quite clear that there are groups of people whose mission is to kill others. We call upon people to provide the police with information that will lead to the arrests of these perpetrators,” said Shezi.
He also highlighted the potential solution of formalising informal settlements in Diepsloot to enable better police access to all areas, to help in the fight against crime.
Police Minister Bheki Cele visited Diepsloot in June after the residents went on the rampage in protest against crime.
Cele told residents that a police crisis response team would be deployed to Diepsloot to curb the crime in the area which he did.
However, march organiser Vincent Ndou said as soon as the police were withdrawn, crime levels took an upswing.
“They must deploy [Tactical Response Teams] TRT permanently in Diepsloot. There must be police visibility in Diepsloot because most of the time when we call the police, it takes more than two hours to respond. I don’t know if they have enough vehicles.”
On social media, there is a video of a bakkie with a public address system driving around Diepsloot telling businesses to close their establishments on Friday and Ndou has urged business owners to support their efforts to shut down the area.
“How can you open your business when people who are marching are the ones who are buying from you? How can you say ‘I am not supporting the march’ when people are dying? Who will buy from you? Who will support your business? You have to be supporting the march.”
INSIDE POLITICS
