📢 PETITION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, THE MAYOR OF CAPE TOWN, AND THE PREMIER OF THE WESTERN CAPE

Calling for Urgent Intervention to Protect Cape Flats Communities

 

We, the undersigned residents of Cape Town and concerned members of the public, urgently call for decisive action to address the escalating violence, gangsterism, and loss of life across the Cape Flats. Our communities are living under siege, with daily shootings, extortion, and intimidation robbing families of peace, dignity, and safety.

 

This crisis has reached levels that exceed the capacity of ordinary policing. The Constitution guarantees every person the right to safety and security, yet thousands of Cape Flats residents live in fear every day.

 

1. Urgent Deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)

 

We call on the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, to urgently authorise the deployment of the SANDF to stabilise affected communities.

 

Previous deployments helped to:

 

Reduce shootings and gang operations

 

Restore calm and stability

 

Support SAPS in high-risk interventions

 

Create safer conditions for residents

 

 

Lives were saved then — and lives can be saved now.

 

2. Declaration of a Local State of Disaster

 

We call on the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman Geordin Hill-Lewis, to declare a local state of disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

 

This measure is essential not only for emergency operational responses but also to unlock and redirect urgent funding to address the root causes that drive gang and gun violence.

 

A local state of disaster will allow the City to:

 

Mobilise resources to violence hotspots

 

Expand community-based violence prevention programmes

 

Scale youth development and after-school initiatives

 

Strengthen substance abuse support and trauma services

 

Address poverty and unemployment holistically

 

 

Gangsterism cannot be solved through policing alone — it requires a comprehensive developmental approach.

 

3. Release of the Draft Provincial Safety Plan 2.0

 

We call on the Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, to immediately release the draft Safety Plan 2.0 for public comment and participation.

 

Communities must have the opportunity to:

 

Review the plan

 

Raise concerns

 

Contribute lived experience

 

Strengthen accountability and transparency

 

 

A safety strategy without public input cannot succeed.

 

Our Communities Cannot Wait Any Longer

 

Children cannot walk to school safely. Workers fear travelling to their jobs. Families bury loved ones weekly. Businesses are collapsing due to extortion and uncontrolled violence.

 

This reality is unacceptable.

 

We, the undersigned, therefore call for:

 

✔ Immediate SANDF deployment to stabilise affected areas

✔ Declaration of a local state of disaster by the Mayor

✔ Emergency funding to address the root causes of violence

✔ Publication of the Provincial Safety Plan 2.0 for public input by the Premier

✔ A united, community-centred, multi-government response

✔ Prioritising human lives above political competition

 

 

Enough is enough. The Cape Flats deserves peace, dignity, and safety — now.