The Cape Flats was painted blue on Thursday as thousands of DA supporters in Nyanga and Manenberg heeded the call by DA leader Mmusi Maimani and took to the streets demanding the army be sent in to fight crime.
The march was attended by various DA bigwigs including Premier Helen Zille, provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela and Community Safety MEC Dan Plato.
Shortly after 9am the large crowd gathered on a veldjie near the Manenberg Police Station, where they danced and waved posters while waiting for Maimane to arrive.
The group marched to Gugulethu and to Nyanga Police Station, but got a skrik when they found another large group of housing protesters in front of the cop shop. Among these protesters from Ramaphosa Village was Deputy Police Minister, Bongani Mkongi, who slammed Maimane for being a “hypocrite”, saying the DA was more worried about losing votes in the Western Cape than the plight of people.
He said the government would not deploy the army on the Flats because police were handling the situation.
“Yesterday they shot a young guy in Mitchells Plain, but they do not march to the Mitchell’s Plain Police Station,” Mkongi said. “They come to the Nyanga station where the darkies are; (this is) to confuse people. This is not about crime, this is about politics because they are losing ground in the Western Cape. He must not play with the lives of people.
“We have beefed up (police) and have given the Western Cape 300 police officers and special forces.
“We are doing whatever is possible, but we are not bringing soldiers because then you are saying we must disband the police.”
Maimane, however, said police did not have the manpower to get a grip on crime.
He labelled former police minister Fikile Mbalula a “liar” for promising Cape Flats residents the army would be deployed before Christmas last year.
Mbalula asked former president Jacob Zuma to send soldiers to Cape Town and Gauteng, but Zuma never approved the request.
“The police can’t cope; we need the army now. Christmas has come and gone and our children did not even see that Christmas because they were killed.
“Mbalula came here to lie and our children died.”
Maimane tried to hand over a memo at the police station, but became embroiled in a bekgeveg with Mkongi when police refused to accept it. “Take that memo to the DA offices,” Mkongi shouted as he walked away.
Maimane retorted: “If the minister does not want to accept the memo he proves that murder does not matter to the ANC government.”