About 200 Manenberg residents gathered in Jordan Street on Sunday to seek a solution to gang violence in the area.
The Manenberg Community Police Forum organised the event, which was attended by Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen, neighbourhood watches, Pollsmoor prisoners and religious leaders, and residents directed their concerns to a panel that included social workers, police officers and prison officials.
Manenberg CPF chairwoman Vanessa Adriaanse said residents were fed up with gang violence, which held them hostage in their homes, and many had not come to the meeting for fear of being caught in the crossfire.
The CPF wanted 10 000 people to sign a petition calling on government to spare Manenberg from load shedding because gangsters were using the cover of darkness to kill each other and innocents, she said.
‘’People must understand that we need to act, and we need to pray for our community because without God we are lost. There is a huge lack of services in our communities so we ask the relevant departments not to lie to us. Come back and bring services to us. This community needs to take back what belongs to us.
“There are too many kids not in school. We know SAPS are working hard, and sometimes the community covers up. One stone throw causes so much damage, and the moms cover up sometimes, and we throw the finger at the leaders. But what are we doing as moms? We need solutions.”
Adults should be better role models and not hold onto grudges, and residents should stop blaming their circumstances for the way they acted and what their children were doing wrong, she said.
“If children are at school, they won’t be throwing stones. But we know that schools are also not always safe so we have requested SAPS vans at school, but these vans are also needed for ambulance services to come into Manenberg because they are being attacked. So what must we do?”
She suggested stopping grant payments to parents of children who were not in school because they didn’t deserve them. “You buy that child cigarettes and Nikes from that (money) and children are killed for those Nikes,” she said.
Mr Allen urged residents to join the CPF and neighbourhood watches.
“We need to get rid of gangsterism and create a future for our youth. The life expectancy of gang members is between 20 and 30, but we don’t want that for our children. We want our youth to be a positive impact in the community. No one can be okay with what is going on. Teenagers are the ones that are committing hideous crimes.”
Department of Correctional Services official Danian Wicomb said prison was a place where no one would want to be.
“I have sat with major gang leaders who are crying to get out,“ he said.
The founder of the Callas Foundation, Caroline Peters, said society was starting to normalise sexual violence, which thrived when it went unreported.
“We have women’s support groups on a Saturday. Join us,” she said.
Residents knew who committed crimes in the area but turned a blind eye, and they should take their streets back themselves and not wait for outsiders to do it, said Manenberg SAPS Youth Desk member Megan Ohlson, adding that children should finish school and not stand on the corners and throw stones.
“If this doesn’t stop, the same children who are throwing stones will be back with guns and knives.
“Children laugh as they run around the corner evading police vans. Moms need to stop covering up for their children who are doing wrong.
“If children and youth think that the gang will protect you, they won’t. When you die, you become another statistic. Children today want to tell moms how to do things. That is not the way.
“I love Manenberg because it has so much potential, but we don’t stand up for what is right. We have to take a stand. There is nothing that our children can’t achieve.”