Whilst drugs and the gangsterism remain the most critical issue in Mitchell's Plain at present, new fears are now surfacing - the growth of the prostitution trade ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. This was amongst the concerns expressed at a march in Lentegeur on Sunday, led by the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad). Some 300 residents attended the march, to speak out against the drug crisis that continues to cripple the community. Pagad spokesperson Osman Sahib said it was clear that residents are desperate for help.
"To hear the cries of the mothers of what the situation is like in Lentegeur was very sad. One mother who attended said her daughter has been on drugs for ten years and she has no idea where she is. She fears her daughter's drug habit may lead her to prostitution when tourists come to the city for the 2010 World Cup," he related.
The organization has recently launched a branch in the Lentegeur area, after calls from the community for a drug intervention. The march therefore aimed to inform residents that the group will work actively to shut down drug dens in Lentegeur, Sahib said. "This is the first successful branch that we have initiated in Lentegeur. We have met people in various parts of Mitchell's Plain who have continuously asked us to set up a branches, so we hope to start more next year Insha-Allah," he said.
Pagad had initially set the march for December 6th, but were informed by authorities that permission would only be granted if the march took place on Sunday. The South African Police Service (SAPS) indicated that there would not be sufficient manpower on the 6th December, due to the arrival of a Fifa delegation in the city for the 2010 World Cup draw. Pagad have slammed police for this move, saying the safety of citizens should be put first.
"If they are going to use the resources that we need on the Cape Flats, then imagine the crisis we face in the festive season as more and more people take drugs and alcohol. When we will need security and police manpower in our streets, they will be too busy providing safety to the overseas delegates. This is the sad reality of our situation..." he said.
The organiasation had intended to hand over a memorandum to Mitchell's Plain police station director Jeremy Veary to indicate the plight faced by residents, however police officials were instructed not to accept the memorandum, Sahib claimed. He said the memorandum called for corrupt police officers to be exposed and for decisive action to be taken against drug dealers. The organization have accused Veary of "not understanding" the drug situation and of lacking respect for the respective community.
"Clearly, his track record shows that things in Mitchell's Plain have gone from bad to worse. Every day, we hear of mothers crying for help, because they have lost their children. We need to warn the Western Cape that people have lost their patience and enough is enough..."
Sahib said this desperation would force parents to take matters into their own hands. Despite the misconceptions, he said Pagad members were "God conscious people who merely want to attain peace and security for our people."
"Like in the time of apartheid, when people needed assistance and nobody came to the rescue, people became fed up. If police do not help us protect our children, then we ourselves will ensure they have security and safety that we all fought for apartheid," he concluded. Director Jeremy Veary was unavailable for comment. VOC (Tasneem Mohamed) |
