Cape Town - A commission of inquiry into gang violence has been recommended to Premier Helen Zille as a way to end the ongoing scourge in the province.
The Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture (TCSVT) on Tuesday released a research report related to gang violence in Manenberg.
The report revealed that there are about 45 gangs operating within the community and that estimates show there are currently 130 gangs operative on the Cape Flats.
Gang-related murder also accounted for 18 percent of the Western Cape’s murder statistics in 2014 and in Manenberg the total number of cases amounted to 8 869.
The establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate gang prevention and intervention efforts in the province, was the key recommendation proposed in the research report, TCSVT director Valdi van Reenen-Le Roux said.
The report is titled “Towards making psycho-social victim rehabilitation a reality: Meeting the needs of survivors of gang violence in the Western Cape”.
“The premier will be inviting the trauma centre to a meeting, after which she will look into the request,” Michael Mpofu, spokesperson for Zille, said on Tuesday.
Van Reenen-Le Roux said the main findings of the report suggested that ongoing violence was the biggest threat to victim rehabilitation.
“We found that the strong link between ongoing violence and continuous trauma has implications for the development of appropriate, context-specific community-based mental health programmes. Inadequate resources increase the risk of secondary victimisation,” she said.
At the height of gang violence in the area two years ago, the Manenberg Development Co-ordinating Structure had lobbied the provincial government to provide psycho-social support to victims of gang violence, Van Reenen-Le Roux added.
“As a result, more than 13 000 people benefited from a community-based, trauma-focused mental health programme over a period of nine months.
“The research report explored the accessibility, appropriateness and sustainability of the programme by analysing data from client files and conducting interviews with counsellors, laypersons, educators and community leaders,” she said.
Van Reenen-Le Roux said nearly two years later, the status quo in Manenberg had not changed.
“In spite of Operation Fiela and the army’s presence in Manenberg in early June, gang warfare continued until last week when community leaders in Manenberg brokered a peace deal among rival gang leaders,” she said.
“However, past experiences have shown that peace deals are mere plasters on gaping wounds.”
Fellow researcher Tatenda Mawoyo said the report’s findings confirmed that government policies “have not been practiced adequately”.
Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said he had received numerous requests for an inquiry into gang violence in the province.
“It is not for me to decide. The premier will make a decision, but this is nothing new,” he said.
Cape Times