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Bheki Cele visits Mitchells Plain after the recent shootings.
- Police Minister Bheki Cele visited Mitchells Plain after several shootings in the area.
- Some residents accused him of political grandstanding.
- Parents fear for the lives of their children.
Police Minister Bheki Cele received an abrupt welcome from residents of Beacon Valley on Mitchells Plain on Tuesday.
The people accused the minister of political bombast. Cele’s visit comes after several shootings in the area.
Residents tried to talk to Cele about a concrete plan to address the scourge of violence in Cape Metro communities.
Resident Kevin Abrahams told News24 that parents feared for their children’s lives.
“We were waiting for the minister to come. None of the children, who witnessed this shooting, received counseling. It is too late for the minister to come visit our community. What are they taking our community for?”
“A few weeks ago, four children died in Nyanga in a sinkhole. Everyone visited the community, including the president,” he said.
Abrahams said that it is necessary to reinforce the police.
READ | Security forum condemns ‘urban terror’ after six shot dead in three days in Mitchells Plain
“We see every day what is happening in this community. We live in these conditions. We want them to allocate adequate spaces for our children. The government is five days late,” he said.
Community activist Sulyman Stellenboom of Bread not Bullets said he was disappointed in Cele’s visit.
“Treat Mitchells Plain like a catwalk. Our kids are being shot at and these ministers don’t have a plan. Our youth are dying like flies. I have no respect for Cele.”
Answers
Stellenboom’s son died years ago and has received no response from the government.
The area has witnessed two mass shootings in the space of two days.
Ten people were shot and six died. Five teens were shot during a drive-by shooting in Beacon Valley on Thursday, of whom two were killed.
On Saturday, five men were shot, four died.
The police have increased their visibility and 50 municipal law enforcement officers have been deployed.
READ MORE | More law enforcement officers deployed to Mitchells Plain after a series of shootings
Juliana Petersen’s son was among five teens shot Thursday. He was shot in the foot and managed to escape, he said.
Petersen told News24 that her son fears for his life.
“I was sitting at my neighbor’s house, having tea. I heard the first shot and ran away. I didn’t know it would be one of my children or their friends. Then I saw everyone standing outside and started running. I saw it [son] and he said they shot him in the foot, “he said.
Petersen said the shooting was not gang related.
“These are boys who are in school, they are not gangsters. I am angry because, in those few hours, there were no police patrols … I hope they do something about it,” she said.
Cele said he is open to interacting with residents.
“I have said before, this problem cannot be solved by ourselves. I am prepared to sit down with the community again because the plan comes from all of us.
“We need more of us to unite, it is not just a police issue.”
