A Cloetesville resident was fatally shot by a gang member from the area on the morning of 26 June. This was confirmed in a statement published on Stellenbosch Municipality’s Facebook page.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that residents have to live in fear,” read the statement. More detail was not immediately available.
The fatal shooting comes after a recent organised march by members of the Cloetesville community to express their concerns regarding crime and gunfire in the area.
A member of the Cloetesville community was killed during a suspected gang shooting in the area on 26 June. This was according to a statement by Stellenbosch Municipality. PHOTO: Abigail Baard
On 19 May, Cloetesville community members walked from Lang Road to the Cloetesville police station and presented a memorandum of grievances regarding crime in the area. The memorandum was received by Lieutenant Colonel Monique Fortain, station commander at the Cloetesville police station.
In the memorandum, community members expressed their concerns regarding crime in the area. They also listed demands, which concluded with a proposal to meet after 30 days to “discuss how far you [the police] have come with implementing our demands”.
A meeting between Fortain and the team responsible for the memorandum is scheduled to take place between 9 and 12 July, according to Felicity Roland, Cloetesville community worker and one of the march organisers.
Law enforcement, the South African Police Service (SAPS), as well as private security companies attended the march, said Roland. The march was also supported by the municipality, she said.
On 19 May Cloetesville community members marched to the Cloetesville police station and presented a memorandum of grievances regarding crime in the area. It was received by Lieutenant Colonel Monique Fortuin, station commander at Cloetesville police station. PHOTO: Abigail Baard
Cloetesville residents’ concerns
Residents have had enough of the shooting in the area, said Christopher Daniels, Cloetesville resident. “Our people live in fear,” he said.
Cloetesville residents have to ensure that they are home at certain times, so that they are not outside when gunfire starts, said Marshall September, Cloetesville resident and march organiser.
Residents feel like they are living during another lockdown, he said. “[At] a certain time of day you need to be at home.”
Cloetesville police station’s constraints
Cloetesville community members expressed the need for more police assistance in the area. “We don’t have enough police assistance,” said Roland.
They also called for more visible and active policing in the Cloetesville area. There has to be active and visible policing in Cloetesville, said September.
The community members understand that the police experience constraints, according to September. “But it is not an excuse.”
The police have been visible, but they have not had many resources available for policing, September said.
On 19 May, Cloetesville community members marched to the Cloetesville police station and presented a memorandum of grievances regarding crime in the area. It was received by Lieutenant Colonel Monique Fortuin, station commander at Cloetesville police station. Marshall September expressed the community’s request for more police assistance before handing over the memorandum. VIDEO: Abigail Baard
Fortuin, who was placed at the Cloetesville police station at the start of May, acknowledged that the station has faced shortages. However, it has had to manage with what it has got, she said.
By working with external forces such as law enforcement, the traffic department, other units such as the anti-gang unit and with the Cloetesville community, the station can be successful, said Fortuin.
After Fortuin’s placement in Cloetesville, new strategies to handle crime in the area were put into place, she said. These strategies consisted of a “back to basics” approach, which included on the ground patrols and police visibility, she explained.