‘Army patrols do not stop crime’
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD girl has been raped in Delft and 10 people were shot this weekend in various parts of Cape Town despite the army’s deployment to the Cape Flats more than a week ago to combat gang violence.
The alleged rape happened yesterday morning at Ono Crescent, Leiden Avenue, Delft. Angry residents gathered at the suspect’s home soon after the news surfaced. They called on the police to hand over the alleged rapist so that they could deal with him.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut could not confirm the incident and said the Delft family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit had yet to inform his office of the incident.
But Delft community policing forum chairperson Charles George said: “We are deeply disappointed and condemn this barbaric behaviour of those that are required to protect and love young girls and boys in communities.
“Our hearts are with the family and we demand justice for this wrong behaviour. We are truly saddened by this incident.”
Of the 10 people shot, two were killed and two minors were wounded. One was a 6-year-old boy in Beacon Valley, the other a 16-year-old girl hit by a stray bullet in Manenberg.
A further four men sustained gunshot wounds in Mitchells Plain, and one man in Elsies River and one in Lavender Hill. No arrests have been made in these cases and the perpetrators are still at large.
The SANDF was deployed in Cape Town more than a week ago to quell gang violence and stabilise gang-infested areas.
The SANDF has been deployed to support the police in 10 hot spots identified by Police Minister Bheki Cele.
These areas are Bishop Lavis, Mitchells Plain, Delft, Elsies River, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, Philippi, Kraaifontein and Manenberg.
Yesterday the army entered the gang-infested area of Tafelsig where the sound of gunfire and the sight of bodies in the streets are nothing new to residents.