{"id":655535,"date":"2019-07-12T21:09:43","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T21:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"
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Authorities in South Africa have deployed the army to townships in the port city of Cape Town to deal with an upsurge of gang violence.<\/p>\n

Police Minister Bheki Cele said the soldiers will work alongside t"},"modified":"2019-07-12T21:09:43","modified_gmt":"2019-07-12T21:09:43","slug":"south-africa-deploys-army-to-gang-hit-cape-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/07\/12\/south-africa-deploys-army-to-gang-hit-cape-town\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa deploys army to gang-hit Cape Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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Authorities in South Africa have deployed the army to townships in the port city of Cape Town to deal with an upsurge of gang violence.<\/p>\n

Police Minister Bheki Cele said the soldiers will work alongside the police in an operation to recover illegal firearms and drugs.<\/p>\n

At least 13 people were killed in 24 hours last weekend in one of the violence-hit parts of the city.<\/p>\n

Cape Town\u2019s gang problem goes back many decades.<\/p>\n

Local reports say the recent upsurge in violence is due to a turf war between rival gangs, fuelled by retaliation attacks.<\/p>\n

There is a heavy police presence in Bonteheuwel, Delft, Hanover Park and Philippi East townships, reports say.<\/p>\n

Mr Cele said the deployment was part of \u201cextraordinary\u201d measures that needed to be taken to ensure public safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll go door to door, we\u2019ll collect every illegal firearm, we\u2019ll collect all criminals that we want, we\u2019ll collect all outstanding criminals that have been on bail and that is happening from two o\u2019clock this [Friday] morning,\u201d Mr Cele told the media.<\/p>\n

The operation was meant to \u201cstamp the authority of the state\u201d, the minister said.<\/p>\n

He defended the deployment, saying the soldiers \u2013 who would be \u201cled and commanded\u201d by the police \u2013 had also been used to provide security during the May elections.<\/p>\n

The army\u2019s current deployment is for three months and can be renewed. \u201cAfter that, there needs to be sustainability,\u201d he said, news site\u00a0News24 reports.<\/p>\n

The army was last deployed to tackle Cape Town\u2019s gangs in 2017.<\/p>\n

A military solution to an economic problem<\/h2>\n

By Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Johannesburg<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cape Town\u2019s gang problem is a symptom of an unequal society, where the gap \u2013 between those with access to resources and a dignified quality of life and those without \u2013 continues to widen.<\/p>\n

Far from the opulent suburbs and bustling tourist attractions of the \u201cMother City\u201d, in low-income neighbourhoods such as the Cape Flats, hundreds of thousands are unemployed and poor.<\/p>\n

These are run-down communities that seem to have been forgotten.<\/p>\n

For many unemployed young people, the gangs offer an alternative life, however grim, but more importantly access to money.<\/p>\n

There are mixed feelings about the presence of the military there \u2013 for community members who feel helpless the move has been welcomed.<\/p>\n

But some have raised concerns about having a militarised response to what is effectively an economic problem.<\/p>\n

While the presence of the military and the police may quell attacks temporarily, it will do nothing to address the social reasons fuelling the presence of gangs there.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this explains why despite numerous deployments of both the army and police, the Cape Flats is still synonymous with gang violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Authorities in South Africa have deployed the army to townships in the port city of Cape Town to deal with an upsurge of gang violence. Police Minister Bheki Cele said the soldiers will work alongside the police in an operation to recover illegal firearms and drugs. 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