Hon Speaker, the community of Manenberg finds itself under siege yet again. Good decent families are forced to cower while criminals brazenly go about their business. The community of Gugulethu is constantly disturbed by the sound of gunfire coming from Manenberg. They, too, cower as they don't know what to expect. Two communities are held hostage by gangsterism.
The question is simple: What does the government intend to do to stop this plague of violence? How many more sleepless nights do the people of Manenberg, Gugulethu and other surrounding areas have to endure before meaningful action is taken by the government?
The children's parks are no-go areas, except for the drug addicts and their dealers.
Fourteen schools in the area had to be closed temporarily. The reason for this is that teachers were unable to raise their voices over the gang calls. How do learners learn when they are forced to cower in a corner as bullets fly over them? The teachers and learners are not safe; but they could be. Cope is dismayed by the petty politicking of those in national government around the closure of 14 schools in the area, whilst they do not consider the crisis that the people of Manenberg is facing on a daily basis.
The President could call in the SA National Defence Force, SANDF, to patrol the area as he did in Kya Sands informal settlement in the north-west of Johannesburg in 2010. If it could be implemented there, why not in Manenberg? Should the people of Manenberg feel that the President does not care about their plight? Cope calls on the President and the government to make decisive, meaningful interventions to stop this terror. I thank you. [Applause.]