While it may still be early days into the new year, the gang-stricken community of Hanover Park has seen a notable reduction in shootings, thanks in large parts to a ceasefire agreement reached with the area’s gangs.This is at least according to the area’s Community Policing Forum (CPF).

The Manenberg CPF have also attributed a romp up in SAPS and Metro Police presence as factors in the quelling of violence, especially over the recent festive season period.

“There has been brokered peace with the gangsters that have been shooting in the area. The police, with their extra people coming in, are also keeping things calm,” confirmed CPF spokesperson, Ebrahim Abrahams.

Hanover Park has faced endless issues relating to gang violence; a situation that only intensified during the course of 2015. But several role-players in the community have expressed hope that the ceasefire agreement, secured during the latter part of the year, will hold, and will help eradicate the issue in the long run.

One of the biggest obstacles to addressing the gang violence has been a lack of coordination and cooperation amongst various sectors of the Hanover Park community, including police, CPF and other civil society structures. But Abrahams said the area’s recent successes could be attributed to improvements in this regard.

However, he stressed that such unity need be maintained in order to achieve any measure of success in the war against gangsters.

“There are organisations and structures that have various different activities within the area. If the people can support those that are doing the sterling work then that is fine. But they mustn’t be splintered for different reasons.

“We just want to see that focus being kept of what our aims and objectives are in the community. We want everyone to work under one umbrella,” he stressed. VOC