Manenberg police celebrated their recent success of reducing gang violence by handing out awards to their crime-fighting partners which included Metro Police, Law Enforcement, community workers and the Community Police Forum.
The Ihata shelter in Heideveld buzzed with excitement on Wednesday as Manenberg Police Station commander, Brigadier Enolium Joseph, handed out certificates to various roleplayers to thank them for their hard work.
The station was recently awarded for confiscating the most firearms in the Western Cape in recent months and for obtaining the most convictions of skollies under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
Joseph says since April more than 70 firearms have been taken off the streets but points out it was done with the help of Metro Police’s Gang and Drugs Task Team who account for a third of these arrests.
“Even the Traffic Services have taken guns when they check for drunk drivers and even if it is just one gun, it’s a gun that was intended to kill [in] our community,” he explains.
“When Ramadaan started, the gangsters agreed to put down their guns so we thought why can’t it be like this all the time?
“Moulana Sameeg Norodien and Sheikh Saleeg Isaacs host weekly thikrs where people pray and this has helped bring Manenberg together.”
Captain Ian Bennett hailed the Shotspotter programme, saying it had helped cops secure convictions for gun-toting skollies.