Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed the deployment of the SAPS Tactical Response Team (TRT) unit dubbed “amaberete” in crime-ridden Diepsloot after residents embarked on countless protests over high crime in their area.
On Saturday, disgruntled residents embarked on a peaceful protest after claiming an increase in murder and other serious crimes.
Residents blamed poor police visibility as well as illegal foreign nationals for the rise in crime rate.
Also over the weekend, members of Operation Dudula took to the streets in protest over crime in the area, they too blaming lack of police visibility.
The group has in the past landed in hot water after being dubbed “xenophobic” amid its conduct of calling on foreign nationals to leave South Africa.
Diepsloot is known for violent crimes where victims had been killed and no arrests made. A few months ago they called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to personally visit their area to receive their grievances. He however, has not attended to them in person.
In June, a community policing forum member Julius Malepa was gunned down. He was with other colleagues patrolling the area when they were shot at.
Cele confirmed that the unit had settled in an office within the community with the aim to curb ongoing crime.
The minister made the announcement during Operation Shanela over the weekend.
Cele said a technical response team would work closely with the community.
“In keeping our routine, we have created a permanent or semi permanent unit that lives there; they have an office there, they’ve got their life there. They will be responding and working with the community there to push back any form of criminality that is happening in Diepsloot,” said Cele.
Asked about the duration, Cele refused to divulge such information.
He maintained that the fact that there was an office where the TRT would be based was important, again highlighting that the officers would be in the area for quite some time.
“As we speak they are there, their commander is present here… so we are here,” said Cele.
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety called for more efforts by law-enforcement agencies as the province’s crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year showed a steady increase.
Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela, reported a 4% increase in the province’s crime rate from April 1 to June 30, which translates to 4022 more counts compared with the same period last year.
Gauteng further contributed 27.9% to the nation’s overall crime statistics for the 1st quarter of the 2023/24 FY.
The committee said it was concerned that Gauteng appeared to be recording an increase from quarter to quarter on its crime statistics which painted a worrying picture on efforts put in place to combat crime in the province.
On the same breath, it cautiously welcomed the decline in some categories of crime. The stats showed that a total of 1 489 people were murdered during the period under review of which 167 were women and 47 children.
Robberies at residential and business premises increased by 13.7% and 1.8% respectively.
For the period under review, common assault and assault with the intend to cause grievous bodily harm recorded an increase of 11.3% and 7.8 respectively with a combined 20 088 counts more compared with the same period in 2022.
To reduce the overall crime in Gauteng the committee called for the implementation of more practical solutions with impactful results. These include the strengthening of community policing forums which will also improve the relations between the police and the communities.