‘Culture of violence’ in gang-infested areas must be addressed to end scourge – expert

A criminologist and gang expert said the culture of violence in gang-infested areas needs to be addressed in order to rid the country of the scourge.

With hundreds killed in ongoing gang violence in various communities in the Western Cape and Gauteng in the past year, last week President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed to both provinces.

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Ramaphosa said the SANDF will work with police to quell the violence that has left communities gripped in fear.

Crime and gang expert Irvin Kinnes said a three-pronged approach is needed to rid communities of gang violence.

"It's not dependent on the show of physical force. What you need to address is the culture of violence."

Kinnes said because violence has become the norm in gang-ravaged areas, a long-term sustained approach is needed.

"A three-pronged approach where you bring civil society and government together, and you need a law enforcement approach that's quite strong, and then you also need to liaise with other government departments."

Kinnes said an evaluation of the previous deployment showed no real difference in curbing gang violence in affected communities.