Manenberg residents say Police Minister Bheki Cele’s visit to the area on Wednesday could not have come at a better time.
Cele was in Manenberg, Bellville and Khayelitsha as part of the SAPS’ Operation Shanela, which means to sweep.
In Manenberg, top cops visited known gang houses and executed search warrants.
Cele also spoke to the community, who raised their concerns about the violence in the area.
A woman, who confronted Cele with her nine-year-old son, questioned the guarantee of her son’s safety once Cele leaves the area.
“What’s the surety that this boy won’t lose his life the next hour when you leave?” she asked, pointing to the little boy.
To which the minister responded: “Being here is part of it [safety], most of the people we went to today with search warrants belong to the 26s [gang].
“If you remove those people... then things will be better.
“This is the first province where we created an Anti-Gang Unit and we believe the Anti-Gang Unit has put in some effort.
“Indeed, we are not where we want to be when it comes to fighting [crime] for the fact that they still use young kids like this; that is a sad thing and a thing we need to come together to fight against.”
Manenberg Community Policing Forum chairperson Vernon Visagie believes Cele’s visit was a win for the community.
“At this point in time, Manenberg needed this, especially with all the shootings recently,” he said.
“The community got a chance to capitalise and highlight their concerns. Manenberg has always been a rough area, I just hope that he could see the reality we are facing and through this we are hoping that our community gets exposure.”
However, a Manenberg crime-fighter who has first-hand experience of the gang violence in the area, but who asked not to be named, said that SAPS should stop launching operations that never get off the ground.
“For operations aimed at sweeping or cleaning the roads clear of these elements, you should just do it,” he said.
“What must be remembered is just like SAPS prepares, so do these gangs, but they don’t first launch their operations – you’ll just see a spike in violence all of a sudden. That is how crime should also be combated, without making a big spectacle of launches.”
Cele’s use of resources is a waste, he added.
“Look at all the cars and security, resources and money that could’ve been invested back into the community, that is what our people see,” the crime-fighter said.