Police Minister Fikile Mbalula says soldiers have not been sent to the Western Cape to tackle gang violence‚ as promised‚ because the police "have managed to quell the gang situation". But residents GroundUp spoke to in Manenberg‚ Philippi and Elsies River disagree. GroundUp reported last year that during a media briefing in Philippi East police station‚ Mbalula announced that soldiers would be sent to gang-ridden areas in the Western Cape and other parts of the country by Christmas. Asked by GroundUp why this had not happened‚ Mbalula said on Tuesday: "We have managed to quell the gang situation and we have not been all out for a static deployment of South African National Defence Force." Speaking during a visit to Bellville, Mbalula said soldiers would be deployed "as part of the logistics" in the context of Operation Fiela. "But we have been able so far to neutralise gangs and also arrest some of the kingpins. Operation Fiela will be throughout the year‚ so should gang violence e...
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