Residents in Freedom Park in Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain are fed-up with gang and drug related violence claiming the lives of young people. In the latest round of violence, 16 year old Annestley Hartnick was shot multiple times in front of his home over the weekend.

Following the death of the teenager , the People Against Gansterism and Drugs (Pagad) held a meeting at the Freedom Park Community Hall, in which 200 community members vented about the spate of crimes.

Pagad spokesperson Haroon Orrie said angry community members have called on Pagad to assist with the escalating crime in the area. Orrie said the area is constantly plagued by robberies, young children in possession of fire arms, constant gang violence and the killing of innocent people. However, the drug trade is the biggest problem as it escalating in the area.

“It is a range of crime that has been mounting over the past few months and I think it’s now at the point where community members have said that they are fed up and that they have had enough of what is happening in that particular area in Tafelsig,” said Orrie.

According to Orrie, the motorcades which they have had in various areas in Mitchell’s Plain have yielded success and have brought about change but they have been stopped on several occasions by the local police.

From his observations, when Pagad is active, the police presence increases.  Orrie believes residents are then swayed away from being apart of Pagad and this was hampering results they were trying to achieve.

“People are also being driven away through fear as they are being fed lies about Pagad. However I think we have been around long enough to say that our intentions are pure and we really want to change society,” said Orrie. VOC (Imogen Vollenhoven)