Chair, over the recent weeks the situation in the gang-infested areas in the Western Cape has escalated to such an extent that children and teachers cannot go to school. It took a special intervention from the City of Cape Town Metro Police to ensure that children were safe and could go to school again yesterday.
The death toll from gang-related violence in the past year has reached hundreds, yet the national Minister of Police continues to fail to address this crisis. The DA-run Western Cape provincial government has been asking this Minister of Police since last year to address this issue, but he has refused to co-operate. Hence he has forgotten that policing is a national competency and that he is responsible for policing across South Africa, and not just in the ANC-run provinces. [Interjections.]
In the past few years, the Western Cape government has attempted to implement various measures to curb violence in the Western Cape. Every single attempt has been blocked and undermined by Minister Mthethwa who puts cheap politicking ahead of the policing needs of the Western Cape. It is time for him to take action and re-establish the specialised gang and drug units. Anything less will be a dereliction of duty. [Applause.]