WC top cop Patekile concerned about gang violence, but says no need to call in army

CAPE TOWN - Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile says there's no need to deploy the army as gang violence continue to plague the province.   

The crime statistics showed that the province recorded the highest number of gang-related murders - 263 counts reported between October and December 2024.  

While many have called for the military to be deployed, Patekile said there is no need at the moment.  

“What the gangs want, they want a status. They mustn't get that status – we must just fight them. There is no need for the military, we are not fighting them. They must just tempt the authority of the State because they are just criminals – that’s what they are. 

“They are not on a level where you can give them that status of calling the army into the space. We want to believe that we are able to deal with it, and we are dealing with it.”  

Chairperson of the Cape Flats Safety Forum Abie Issacs, however, said crime continues to be on the rise.  

“Just over the past 72 hours, there has been shooting, to the extent that in Lentegeur, on Friday evening, there have been fatal shootings in and around the Lentegeur area. 

“We will continue, as the Cape Flats Safety Forum, to push the South African National Defence Force to be deployed as a force multiplier.”