"Our graves are full, and they are full of children."
This was a cry by a woman from Westbury to police minister Bheki Cele yesterday expressing frustration over high levels of criminality and killings. She said she had lost faith in the government as well as law enforcement.
“So many children have died and if you (authorities) had done what you promised to do in 2018, so many children would still be alive and I wouldn’t have had to go and identify my dead son.
“You come here and expect us to believe you. I don’t believe you. I don’t believe you’ll act. We’re marginalised as coloured people. You don’t care about coloured people. Next year, you’ll be here again.
“Now you’re here after our children have died. There are a lot of children with unfinished stories in graves that could’ve brought hope to our communities. I don’t have faith in you and will never have it.
Residents were speaking at an imbizo addressed by Cele who visited the area following the killing of two people, while 11 others were injured, over four days last week. There have been several killings in the area in recent months.
Another woman who did not want to reveal her name for fear of being targeted by gangsters said her grandson who was shot dead and killed five months ago but she still does not have a case number.
“I don’t have a docket. I don’t have a case number,” she told the imbizo. “We’ve buried over 200 children here in our community. The graveyards are full. Where are we elderly people going to be buried? “People wake up, and before you do anything, ask the Lord to lead you,” the woman said.
Cele and the police top brass, including acting national commissioner Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili and provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela and premier Panyaza Lesufi visited Westbury to assess the situation.
Cele has deployed a specialised task team to Westbury for the next three months, in an attempt to combat gang violence and increases in crime.
He said he would speak to the department of correctional services to ensure that more stringent measures for bail were put in place. This followed complaints from community members who said while criminals were arrested, they would be released the next day.
Resident Melissa Davids said while she did not condone thuggery, there were simply no jobs, especially for the coloured community.
“If it wasn’t for a political appointment, I would’ve never had an opportunity to work in the City of Johannesburg. I want to ask social development what they’re bringing to communities, nothing. “Kids come to me to print their CVs but government doesn’t even ...use its airtime to tell these kids their applications were unsuccessful. Does government really care for the coloured community,” she asked.
Tuesday’s meeting got off to a heated start when Sophiatown community policing forum chairperson Gus Malgas was shouted down by residents as he made his opening remarks.
“We’ve brought special-forces here. We’ve brought other units from outside. We will enhance our operations here...The instruction is clear to the police – you don’t drive around here but you walk around here. People here aren’t killed by knobkieries but are shot.
“We’re going to get in every house here and find those guns. It was terrible when you shouted back at a member of the CFP because he was talking the truth. “Corrupt police will meet corrupt members of the community and that’s simple. We’ll be dealing with corrupt police,” Cele said.
Lesufi said: The time of talking is over. We need to act decisively. I don’t want to stand here and explain plans that can be heard by criminals.”
nkosin@sowetan.co.za
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