Army Deployed In Cape Town

The South African National Defence Force have been deployed today into violence-hit communities in Cape Town. The areas include Bonteheuwel, Delft, Hanover Park and Philippi East. Police Minister Bheki Cele made this announcement yesterday.

Local reports say the recent upsurge in violence is due to a turf war between rival gangs, fueled by retaliation attacks. At least 20 people have been killed there since last Friday, including 13 who were shot dead in Philippi East at the weekend.  The office of Police Minister Bheki Cele said the deployment was part of “extraordinary” measures that needed to be taken to ensure public safety. 

“We’ll go door to door, we’ll collect every illegal firearm, we’ll collect all criminals that we want, we’ll collect all outstanding criminals that have been on bail," Mr Cele told the media. 

There is currently heavy police presence in some of those communities as officers await the arrival of the army. Cape Towns gang problems are nothing new, these problems go back many decades. While there have been periods of ceasefire, the authorities have struggled over the years to maintain lasting peace in these communities.