Colin Arendse, Wynberg
The letter from Albert Fritz (“MEC lays down challenge to gangs”, Southern Mail letters, July 31) bears reference.
Mr Fritz calls for “the police intelligence and detective units to work together to ensure convictions of gang bosses and not just hitmen”.
George “Geweld” Thomas and Shawn van Rooyen were both sentenced in the Western Cape High Court to 175 years and 216 years respectively. And Breatley Hartnick, Christopher Jantjies, Jimmy Kemp, Luciano Saayman, Jerome Bosman, Isidore Links, Clayton Swartz, Henwill Wolhuter, Mallick Petersen and Saliem John are all collectively serving 18 life terms after police intelligence and detective units secured successful Prevention of Organised Crime (POCA) convictions (source: IOL).
The police and the South African National Defence Force have their own intelligence gathering capacity which is a sole mandate in terms of our Constitution and the fact that an entire gang, the Atlantis Fancy Boys, were convicted and locked away in 2014 is proof that government is serious about fighting crime on the impoverished Cape Flats.
What we don’t need is communities and our children idolising and defending alleged gang bosses and gang members. Neither should the families of alleged high-flyers benefit from lucrative government tenders.
If we are serious about fighting the scourge of gangsterism and drugs, it is up to each one of us as taxpayers and public servants to join hands and assist all spheres of government to take our streets back. Because we all have that moral and civic duty to protect the future of our next generation.