Mitchell's Plain grapples with gang violence: The devastating impact on families

There has been no reprieve from ongoing gang violence for residents of Mitchell’s Plain.

At least seven people died and 14 were injured in gang-related shootings in Beacon Valley, Eastridge, Tafelsig, Westridge, and Portland last week.

On Sunday, July 6, two more distraught Beacon Valley women were added to the number of grieving mothers whose children were gunned down on the streets of Mitchell’s Plain.

Their sons’ deaths came within minutes of a peace and prayer motorcade making its way from Westridge Civic Centre to several locations where there have been gang-related shootings in the past week.

Camey Adams was in tears watching her 22-year-old son’s body from a distance as he lay just off the pavement in Riley Street on Sunday.

He was a working young man and had come from a neighbour’s house when he was shot, she said.

“Today, you do not need to be a gangster to die. They shoot anyone,” said Ms Adams.

Civic bodies Save Mitchell’s Plain and Malachi Foundation, supported by various community and faith-based organisations, political parties and residents, led the motorcade in support of the grieving families and communities.

The motorcade was in Portland, en route Beacon Valley, when news came in of the shooting.

Ms Adams said the prayers of the community offer hope to community that is desperate for help.

“The prayers give us hope. It is only God that can change this around. Everything people do to end these killings will help,” she said.

Sunday’s shooting in Beacon Valley comes just one day after the Mitchell’s Plain, Lentegeur, and Strandfontein community police forums convened an emergency meeting to develop an immediate and comprehensive response to the recent surge in gang-related shootings.

Mitchell’s Plain CPF chairperson Norman Jantjes urged the government, law enforcement, and civil society to act decisively before more lives are lost.

“We refuse to accept gang violence as a norm in our community. The bloodshed must end, and those responsible must face justice,” Mr Jantjes said.

Mitchell’s Plain police chief, Brigadier Brian Muller said police officers were conducting various operations to bring in known gang members for questioning. He said two guns were confiscated last Thursday, followed by three more firearms on Sunday.

Independent criminologist Ben de Vos said the recent upsurge of violence and shootings was causing mayhem, terror, and mass traumatisation of communities.

“It is not new knowledge that Mitchell’s Plain precinct is one of five identified gang stations and a major contributor to the national murder rate, of which gang-related murders are the second largest contributor.

“What’s needed is a whole-of-society approach, a vigorous moral regeneration campaign to restore the tattered moral fibre of communities, and a focus on family strengthening.

“We also need a seamless effective criminal justice system that comes down on violent criminals like a ton of bricks, rooting and flushing out of the system those who collude and are in cahoots with gangs.

“And a policing service that is responsive to the needs of communities,” Mr De Vos said.

Beacon Valley pensioner Arthur Pillay said hearing gunshots had become the norm for residents of Beacon Valley.

Mr Pillay, who also runs the Ageing Gracefully organisation for the elderly, said on most days, pensioners were forced to stay indoors due to the ongoing gang violence.

“Wednesday, (2 July) was SASSA day; we had to go out and draw our money to buy food and pay our bills.

“We can’t be held captive in our own homes. These gangsters have no respect for the elderly. The gang violence is affecting seniors in Beacon Valley and throughout the Western Cape. Seniors are sitting in fear in their homes,” Mr Pillay said.

On Friday, 4 July, just hours after Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile visited Mitchells Plain, two more people were killed, and one other person was injured in a shooting in San Francisco Street, Portland.

A Portland resident who was outside when the shooting in San Francisco Street happened, said she was struggling to sleep days after the incident.

The previous day, five people were killed and seven others were injured in five different shootings in Beacon Valley, Tafelsig, and Town Centre.

According to Western Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa, murder and attempted murder cases had been opened, and anti-gang unit detectives were investigating the incidents.

“Meanwhile multidisciplinary deployments have been bolstered to prevent further occurrences,” Brigadier Potelwa said.

The Imamat Council of Mitchell’s Plain released a statement on Sunday, condemning the ongoing gang violence and killings.

“We call upon those involved in gang activities to fear Allah and to return to the path of peace, repentance, and reconciliation,” the statement read.

The council also called on the government, including local authorities, to urgently address the root causes of the ongoing bloodshed, as well as poverty, drug abuse, lack of opportunities, and social inequality.