From front left, are Detective Colonel Papama Rolobile, provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, Manenberg police chief Brigadier Jayce Naidoo and Athlone police chief Colonel Junaid Alcock. Behind them are Captain David Solomans, left, and Colonel Harry Brickels outside the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Friday January 10.
Police have vowed to crack down on crime in Manenberg following a bloody festive season there in which a woman burned to death in an alleged arson attack, a man was accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend and 5-year-old Ameer Abrahams was slain by a gangster’s bullet.
Last Friday, at Athlone Magistrate’s Court, where two men charged with Ameer’s murder made their first appearance, Manenberg police chief Brigadier Jayce Naidoo and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile vowed to clamp down on illegal firearms and gang activity.
“This operation will see the precinct being saturated with integrated forces and force multipliers, focusing on intelligence-driven actions. Any form of lawlessness will not be tolerated,” said Brigadier Naidoo.
“The brutality witnessed recently will not be tolerated. The community must start reporting criminal activities and take full accountability for children in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition. We will clamp down on gang affiliation and gang territories.”
He called on the community to unite to eradicate crime.
“We must speak with one voice. Blaming each other, when parents incite violence leading to gang initiation is unacceptable. We cannot tolerate children being involved in criminal activities and being protected by their parents. We cannot expect change if we do nothing.
“The innocent will suffer if the good people of Manenberg do nothing. We call on the community to report any illegal activities and to not turn a blind eye.”
Manenberg Community Police Forum deputy chairperson Vanessa Adriaanse welcomed the promised crackdown.
“If this is how our year started, one can’t help but ask how the rest of the year will go,” she said, referring to the killing of Ameer.
“I am not justifying anything, all gang violence is wrong, but I have noticed that in the past, gangs knew who they were targeting. Now they shoot randomly. Also, in the past, if a child was killed, gangs would call a ceasefire. This does not happen anymore.
“As the CPF, we welcome SAPS’s initiative, and we call on the community to stop making excuses for gang violence. It is time that we stop talking and start doing the work. SAPS can only do so much. If we want to eradicate gangsterism, then we must unite as a community. Change is in our hands.”
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