Protest for police presence in Khayelitsha’s crime hot spots
Over a hundred community members marched to Lingelethu Police Station in Khayelitsha on Friday demanding a greater police presence in high-crime areas in the township.
The march started at the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) offices. The route took the marchers via Site B police station to Lingelethu Police Station, where a memorandum was handed over.
Marchers protested against the high rates of violence, crime and robbery in Khayelitsha.
Zukiswa Qezo lives in Khayelitsha and is a member of the SJC. She told how she and two other SJC members were robbed while walking on Pama Road, coming from a SJC branch meeting.
The memorandum stated that there have been several attempted break-ins at the SJC offices, as well as one successful break-in on 10 September 2012 when the receptionist’s computer was stolen. The police have opened cases on these.
The memorandum demanded increased police visibility at all crime hot spots in Khayelitsha, including Pama Road, Bonga Drive, Mongezi Drive, Njongo Road, Lwandle Road, Dada Street and other areas. It also called for the effective use of all CCTV cameras operating in Khayelitsha, as well as a faster response from the police at times of distress.
The memorandum was accepted by Mr R. Fritz. Requests for comment from the police station have received no response.
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