Following the engagement hosted last month by the Muslim Judicial Council SA (MJC) alongside interfaith communities and official stakeholders on the state of safety and security in the Western Cape, the MJC SA has published an expansive response from those cited in the memorandum of demands during the session. National Police Minister Bheki Cele, Police Commissioner General Sehlahle Masemola, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and the City’s Safety and Security Directorate’s JP Smith were among several fingered in the document.

“Thus far the MJC(SA) received a detailed written response to the memorandum from Mayor Geordan Hill-Lewis and the City of Cape Town. We appreciate their willingness to assist in the process of developing an effective response to the kidnapping crisis in the Western Cape.

Furthermore, we have received a commitment from the SAPS Provincial Commissioner that a consolidated response to the issues raised in the memorandum will prepared by their Strategic Management component in due time. As a gesture of their commitment, SAPS dispatched Deputy District Commissioner for the West Metropole, Brigadier C. Jones to further engage the MJC (SA) and the Faith Community to strategize how SAPS and Faith leaders can work together to address crime in the province,” read the statement.

However, the religious body still awaits a direct response from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“The MJC(SA) and its stakeholders have yet to receive a response from the NPA regarding the points specific to them in the memorandum but will continue with weekly follow-ups until a response is secured.”

The religious body have fervently called on authorities to address the rise in violent crime plaguing the Western Cape. The impassioned calls come after kidnapping and extortion crimes have continued relentlessly across the province.

VOC