Community leaders in Kliptown, Soweto are calling on the Gauteng provincial government to increase police visibility in the area.
Residents say they are living in fear due to a number of gangs terrorising the community. On Friday a man, believed to be 19 years old was killed by community members. They accused him of being part of a group of young people, involved in robberies, murder and even selling body parts.
No one has yet been arrested in connection with the murder. Community leader, George Mohlala says, “This is where the freedom charter was adopted and what the freedom charter speaks about and what is happening in Kliptown is totally two different things. You go to the police station the cops will tell you that they will never cross the railway line and come to the squatter camp. They are afraid. If the police themselves, the people that are supposed to protect us, are telling you that they are afraid to deal with the criminals, how do you expect us to deal with the criminals?”
Gauteng police have called on residents of Kliptown, Soweto, not to take the law into their own hands.
Dalipkumar Balinath from the Kliptown police station says they cannot do anything about the gangs in the area unless the community formally laid charges against the alleged gang members.
“It’s very important that if a person is brought to the police station for us to keep him in custody there must be a statement from a witness who saw him committing a crime. Otherwise we cannot. We don’t have the mandate to keep him in custody,” says Balinath.
