Due to unemployment, residents in the Manenberg area are reportedly renting out their properties to gangsters.
The chairperson of the Manenberg police forum (CPF), Vernon Visagie, shared with news24 that they are concerned about the increase in city council homes that are being given to gangsters in the community for their daily operations.
“Unemployment is a crisis; residents have since started renting their homes to gangsters to make money to put food on the table for their families. It’s very sad to see, and the more the other residents see what their neighbour is going to make a living, the more they are also wanting to do the same thing. And so, the cycle just continues, family homes get rented out to gangs to earn a quick living,” he said.
The community has seen flare ups in gang related shootings recently. Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Allen Reagan, visited the area to engage a wide variety of stakeholders about this matter.
“Amongst others the stakeholders included SAPS, Ward Councillor Bonita Jacobs, Neighbourhood Watch and CPF members, school principals, teachers, learners and other concerned residents. We all agreed that the unrelenting violence cannot continue. We’ve committed to work together to put an end to what is currently transpiring,” he said.
He added that they are reigniting the reward system to anonymously report illegal firearms and ammunition.
The latest crime statistics show that murder statistics increased by 12% (111 cases) for the 2020/21 financial year in the province.
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https://www.capetownetc.com/news/leap-deployment-in-nyanga-bears-fruit-for-the-western-cape/