The Manenberg Community Policing Forum has discharged street committees to mobilize within the precinct in a bid for the community to take back the streets from gang warfare. The policing forum says that their number one priority is to turn these roads into a safe haven for youths as gang syndicates are recruiting children to orchestrate massacres in exchange for the protection of their drug dens.

The street committees are used to mobilize communities into actively participating in the clamping down on suspicious activity in the area. The forum confirms that most of these crimes are related to gang recruitment processes.

Youth are recruited by gang leaders and drug lords in exchange for protection on the streets. Street committees collaborate with community policing forum and police to closely monitor and clampdown on gang related crimes.

The forum’s public relations pastor Lewellyn Adams says that children as young as 10 are found in possession of illegal firearms commissioned as militants to safeguard drug lord homes in Manenberg.

“These kids are on the streets to target people preferably other gang members as hitmen for merchants to make sure drug illcitors are not exposed to any dangers while trading. They have to undergo the initiation to be part of the gang this means killing someone. Drug lords demand the guarantee of protection in exchange for recognition,” says Adams.

The most recent incident caused an outcry by community policing forum for communities to take back the streets and free their children from being held hostage by gangsterism after a 36 year old man had been trading stolen guns to ‘gang newbies.’

After complaints lodged by residents in the surrounding area, law enforcement pursued his home in search of the firearms.

Once tipped off, the police pursued the dealer found in Great Fish avenue and seized 9mm pistol and 14 rounds of ammunition.

Inspecting the illegal firearms, law enforcement found that the serial numbers of all the pistols were removed.

Manenberg police confirmed the possession of illegal firearm and ammunition case.

“We validate that a 36 year old male was arrested for having 15 stolen guns on his person,” says SAPS Western Cape spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk.

Adams says that stolen firearms are detached from their serial numbers to make them untraceable to authorities.

“These guys don’t want police to find the guns or see its rightful owner so they remove the serial numbers,” says Adams.

The community forum says that the number causes for gang related crimes in the precinct is driven by gang members of other areas. This is further fuelled by the socio-economic problems of unemployment within the community, making them prey to wealthy drug lords.

“These children come from homes where there are no working parents so they join this recruitment process and render themselves to a drug dealer as money is not a problem for these people,” says Adams.

VOC