Former gangster Mervin Lewis says what is happening in Mitchells Plain is a civil war not a gang fight. Photo by Mary-Anne Gontsana.
12 March 2014
Former gang member Mervin Lewis says what is happening in Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and Gugulethu is not a gang fight, but a low intensity civil war.
“Gangs are carrying serious weapons, shooting each other as if they are fighting a war. This does not need police, it needs the army, people who are trained to handle these kinds of situations.”
“Gangsterism has become a beacon of hope for our kids because that is where they are easily accepted, no questions asked. Kids of today are spoilt; they know if they commit a crime … the justice system is lenient to youngsters. Other reasons for joining gangs include kids wanting to be acknowledged by their peers, they want discipline from their peers, gangs offer protection,” said Lewis.
Lewis, 50, was convicted for murder when he was 17 and dodged the death penalty because he was too young. He had been a 28s gang member for 20 years. He was released from prison on 30 April 1999. He told himself that he would never go back and he quit the gang.
“It’s tough, because you cannot really quit a gang; it is a process. I got shot in 2005 by some of the gang members for reasons unknown to me. My car was covered in bullet holes, but I survived without a scratch.”
Lewis decided to open the Teenage Gang Prevention Programme, an outreach programme for children caught up in gangsterism. They offer the programmes and counselling for free. Although based in Mitchells Plain, it also involves other communities plagued by gang violence.
Lewis showed GroundUp a book where people who need help sign in; a mix of boys and girl, the majority aged between 9 and 16. According to Lewis, girl gangs are more dangerous than boy gangs, because girls easily manipulate and recruit.
He said he worked with seven others in the programme, some of whom were also former gang members.
“Government needs to get people like us, who have been in these gangs, who know how this whole thing works, to help stop this violence.”
“Gangs fight for a turf. They want authority, which is why you get shootouts in the same community, because certain streets or areas belong to different gangs,” said Lewis.
On Saturday at about 8pm, the Western Cape police responded to a report of a shooting incident in Korfbal Street, Mitchells Plain. One person was seriously injured and three were killed. According to police spokesman Tembinkosi Kinana, it is believed that the gangs were shooting randomly. The three killed were 12-year-old Jucinta Matroos, 15-year-old Nizaam Cupido, and 40-year-old Farida April.
Police have opened cases of attempted murder and murder. No arrests have been made at the time of writing.