Violent crime in Durban is on the rise, and alarm bells are being raised as children are most at risk. In the southern suburbs, the surge in gang violence and other criminal activity saw two people, including a child, narrowly escape death when a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire on Tuin Road in Wentworth on March 18. This deplorable attack has heightened concerns about public safety in an area already grappling with persistent violence. According to PT Alarms spokesperson Dhevan Govindasamy, the victim was unharmed despite the severity of the shooting. However, the close call highlights the growing danger faced by the city’s residents. Govindasamy stated that “the child was inside the house when a stray bullet entered through an open window and struck a wall.” Wentworth has experienced a string of shootings, with communities reporting an alarming increase in gun-related violence.
In a separate incident, one suspect wanted for reckless and negligent driving was shot and wounded during a shoot-out with the police on the N2 Southbound. The other suspects managed to escape. Police spokesperson in Montclair, Constable Nora Ndlovu, said the police tried to stop the vehicle that was travelling at a high speed, however, the suspects opened fire on the police and the police retaliated. “One of the suspects was injured during the shoot-out. He was arrested at the scene and charged for attempted murder and reckless and negligent driving,” said Ndlovu. The accused, who is a foreign national and known as Shaun Magcaba, appeared at the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
Opening fire on a police officer while speeding in a car is an enormous risk for the driver. The outcome is never positive and exposes the arrogance and recklessness of gang members. Both the province and the municipality have a responsibility to deliver a harsh response to gang criminals for their brazen actions. However, key to curtailing public shootings and other gang-related attacks – as well as ensuring they are properly documented – is the revival of the Scorpions Directorate of Special Operations. An independent, specialized, professional police force is needed to serve as a check and balance on crime, as was the case before the DSO’s disbandment in 2009.
It is time for the Presidency and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD) to reconsider the escalation of crime since the Scorpions’ disbandment and to re‑instate them.
Meanwhile, in response to violence, a peaceful march concerning the control of access to the country by immigrants began at King Dinuzulu Park, passed City Hall, and concluded at Hoy Park, where the organizers handed over a memorandum to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and government officials. The mass demonstration was organized and led by March and March, and was joined by several political parties, including ActionSA and the IFP. The goal of the demonstrators is for the municipality to pass legislation preventing undocumented foreign nationals from operating businesses in township economies.
While marching on Wednesday afternoon, a group of people chased a person suspected by the crowd to be a foreign national, prompting officers to step in and escort him to safety. During the confrontation, some members of the crowd began throwing stones and other objects at police. Officers responded by deploying stun grenades to disperse the crowd, which had begun moving towards the ANC provincial headquarters. On the sidelines, Newswatch spoke to March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, who said the protest is about putting South Africans first and holding the government accountable. “We’ve kept quiet. We’ve taken second best, but today we’re saying that has to come to an end. We are calling every single South African citizen, even if they’re not here, to remember who they are.
“They are South African, they’ve got no other country to go to, and if we continue to allow all these illegal immigrants and these foreigners to take over this country because of fear of being called xenophobic, then by the end of the day, we will not even have a country to live in.”
The matter of undocumented immigration remains a cause for concern. However, attacks on foreign nationals and their properties are not an acceptable form of dissent. While the mass migration of foreigners from their own countries across Southern Africa and other parts of the continent should be curtailed – with the exception of refugees – South Africans must not take the law into their own hands. Apart from the incident in which one man was attacked after being accused of being a foreign national, the march itself was largely peaceful. South Africa’s political leadership across all spheres of government – municipal, provincial, and national – must act with diligence. Restricting unregistered foreigners from participating in business is a necessity. Foreign nationals should not be allowed to live and operate in South Africa without the proper documentation. This is a matter for the Department of Home Affairs to implement, and it must be enforced across all levels of the state. Neither Pretoria, the provinces, nor local government can afford to leave any stone unturned.
Having proper legal documentation is of utmost importance. Equally important is tackling gang violence and reinstating a fully operational, largely autonomous national police force. Such a force could go a long way toward checking crime and combating the scourge of violence.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
