By Lebone Rodah Mosima
The country’s top justice and policing officials pledged tighter coordination to tackle rampant gang violence and improve community safety after meeting residents of Mitchells Plain and Mfuleni on Tuesday.
National police commissioner Fannie Masemola, Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel, acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and Deputy Minister of Police Polly Boshielo joined senior criminal justice leaders to hear community concerns ranging from unemployment and youth gang recruitment to substance abuse and access to recreational facilities.
The visit followed the execution-style killing of an accused person outside the Athlone Magistrate’s Court after a court appearance – a case Nel described as highlighting “serious security gaps” around high-risk courts.
“Athlone itself has long been marked as a high-risk court, with incidents of drug smuggling, gang-linked intimidation and shootings in the vicinity,” he said.
Nel stressed that combating crime and gangsterism required “a coordinated, whole-of-government response” involving police, prosecutors, correctional services, social development, and local communities.
Measures under way include strengthening court security, upgrading infrastructure, and expanding the use of technology such as virtual hearings and integrated case management systems.
“Sport, skills development and community-based initiatives are essential in steering young people away from crime,” Nel added, pledging closer work with municipal authorities and civil society to improve access to such programmes.
Cachalia said concrete steps were being taken to combat “high rates of murder, extortion, rape and gangsterism in schools” and said the communities were seeking boosting of police visibility, more resources, and increasing the number of police stations in affected areas.
Authorities also committed to make courts safer and more accessible as centres not only for criminal and civil trials but also for broader justice services, including domestic violence protection orders and maintenance matters.
Nel said he has yet to meet with Cachalia and the Judge President of the Western Cape Nolwazi Mabindla-Boqwana to discuss measures to curb killings near courthouses and ensure courts remain secure for the judiciary, prosecutors, legal practitioners, and the public.
INSIDE POLITICS