Pressure is mounting for a permanent Western Cape Police Commissioner as gang violence continues to claim lives across the province.
The latest incident happened in retreat on Wednesday evening.
Gunmen opened fire during a memorial service, killing a 24-year-old man and wounding three others.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape said that the attack highlights the urgent need for stable police leadership to tackle increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
Thembisile Patekile retired at the end of June after serving as provincial commissioner since July 2021.
Major General Luyanda Damoyi has been acting in the role since then.
Despite the deployment of the SANDF, police and city of Cape Town law enforcement under Operation Prosper in April, more than 40 people have been killed in suspected gang-related shootings across the province.
Police said that the operation has produced results, with more than 1,000 suspects arrested over the past three months for murder, attempted murder and firearm-related offences.
The DA’s Benedicta Van Minnen said that the province cannot continue fighting violent crime without permanent police leadership.
“Expanding the role of capable provincial and municipal law enforcement, as part of a coordinated whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, could make a meaningful contribution to combating violent crime and removing illegal firearms from our streets.”
She said that the gunmen opening fire on mourners is another stark reminder of the grip that gangs continue to have on many communities in the Western Cape.
Ntuthuzelo Nene
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