More than 100 Cape Flats residents marched through the streets of the Cape Town CBD on Wednesday to express their anger at rising crime levels and lack of policing.
Shortly after 10am, the crowd of angry parents and children gathered at Keizergracht Street and marched to parliament where they called for Western Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Khombinkhosi Jula, to be fired, saying he was “out of touch with reality” and is failing the public.
Organiser Roegshanda Pascoe said earlier statements that the march was linked to the Shutdown Protests held in recent weeks were false, and were aimed at “derailing” their legal march, which was arranged by the Western Cape United Safety Front.
Residents marched and danced in the streets, carrying paper coffins with the faces of children who had died in gang violence, and calling for an end to the bloodshed.
Lavender Hill activist Lucinda Evans caused a stir with her placard which read: “Los my **** af” (leave my vagina alone).
Addressing the crowd, she explained: “With this poster I will offend you for the next 364 days. Because our pussies are under seige.
“There are 40 000 women in the last financial year that reported rape. One out of nine women report rape, so you have 320 000 women who did not report rape.
“I am here today to tell the National Prosecuting Authority, dat julle wat R500 bail gee vir rapists, let me tell you, we are sick and tired!”
An angry Evans also criticised the Department of Women in the Presidency, asking: “Wat de f*** maak julle daar? Julle doen f*k** vir vrouens van die Western Cape.
“Kom ons praat die taal wat die mense ken because our children’s pussies, disabled women’s pussies, the lesbian’s pussies, are under siege.”
According to the memorandum handed over to Francois Beukman, police portfolio committee chairperson, residents labelled Jula as “weak and confused” and emphasised that the highest amount of deaths related to gang violence were recorded in the Western Cape.
Pascoe said: “We demand that government fire and charge police officers involved in gang violence.
“We demand the Western Cape Provincial Commissioner be fired for incompetence and that SAPS together with our communities appoint a tried and tested leader who can provide leadership and inspiration to the men and women in blue to fight gangs in the Western Cape.”
Beukman met with organisers after the march.
Pascoe says Beukman promised he would address their concerns urgently.
“He said by the first week of November he will call a stakeholders meeting with Saps and other relevant departments and the organisers to address the issues together.”
The crowd also marched to the provincial legislature to hand over their memorandum to Premier Helen Zille, which was received by a representative.