The community are also seeking a meeting with Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile. Picture: Armand Hough African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - After two murders in as many days the residents of Macassar have called for more police to patrol their area.
This after another stabbing incident was reported in the area at the weekend. Morgan Jaars was stabbed to death, allegedly after a fight at Chris Hani Park on Saturday.
The community are also seeking a meeting with Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile.
Community leader Christiaan Steward said the area had been relatively quiet, but in the past month someone had lost their life every week, with youngsters bearing the brunt.
Cameron Kirchner, 23, died on April 1 at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital after he was stabbed. On March 25 Lorenzo Mynard, 36, sustained fatal stab wounds to the chest following an altercation that erupted between him and Shoprite store security guards.
A week before that, the body of 10-year-old Denecke Persence was found in a canal in Marvin Park next to the N2 after she was reported missing on March 11.
Steward said with killings of the past five weeks, the under-resourced police in the area were working tirelessly to protect the communities.
“I feel that more can be done to safeguard and protect our communities in this difficult time. There were enough police officers on the ground when EFF embarked on a shutdown and during the lockdowns, but when we need these police officers in our communities they are not seen.
“Our pleas for protection always fall on deaf ears. Our ward councillor, Peter Helfrich, has tirelessly been requesting more police officers in our ward but nothing happens,” he said.
Helfrich confirmed that in the past few months there had been a spate of serious crimes, gang violence and murders in the area.
He said residents claim that there was no action by the under-resourced police to curtail this trend.
“Last year, I wrote to Minister of Police Bheki Cele to ask him to provide our local SAPS station with more resources and manpower to capacitate them to do their job. The minister’s office promised to come back to us. This has never happened,” he said.
mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za