Cape community crime fighters frustrated about terrible working conditions

CAPE TOWN - Community crime fighters in Cape Town have voiced their frustrations about the terrible conditions they are working under.

The Civil Secretariat of Police Service, Director General Thulani Sibuyi, is in Khayelitsha meeting with local safety structures to find solutions to the rise in crime in the city.

Cape Town has been gripped by deadly attacks linked to gang violence, taxi-related feuds, and extortion in recent months.

Dangerous working conditions and lack of resources have been identified by Cape Town safety structures as some of the contributors to the high crime rate in the city.

Nyanga CPF chairperson Martin Makasi says working relationships between them, the police, and local government also need to improve to combat the rampant crime in the metro.

“I want to make an example that when there was an attack on the members of parliament in the Philippi area, there was a lot of noise that was made, but it happened in the spot that was identified by the Nyanga CPF together with the Philippi CPF that it was a space that we need to pay attention to. Meetings were called with the local government, but nothing happened. Now that members of Parliament are attacked, everybody expects us to drop everything.”

He added that the disconnect between all these entities shouldn’t be the norm.