Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
2 February 2024 | 16:00 CAT
2 min read

Residents of Cape Town are demanding increased police visibility at schools in the Mitchells Plain area to reinforce the safety of students, following the shooting of 12-year-old Firdous Kleinsmidt, who was killed in a gang crossfire at her Cape Town school on Tuesday morning.

Firdous, who was in Grade 7 at Leglaasi Nieyah Primary School, was shot in front of a teacher, parents and other pupils. Police have since arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the shooting.

Recent reports highlight a surge in incidents within Beacon Valley, including two shooting incidents in two days. The locality now stands classified as a red zone, witnessing a fierce gang war eruption between rival factions.

The Cape Flats Safety Forum has called for a complete overhaul of the Mitchells Plain police station and the suspension of its management.

MEC Reagen Allen, the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Community Safety and Police Oversight, says this incident could have been prevented.

“As the MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, my responsibility is twofold: overseeing the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure accountability and advocating for improved service delivery and increased visibility within the police force,” he said.

Allen pointed out that Mitchell’s Plain is one of the priority areas.

“We have implemented the Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP) and deployed ‘LEAP officers’. These are law enforcement professionals working collaboratively with the police service, neighbourhood watches, Community Policing Forum (CPF) members, and school programs to enhance community safety,” he added.

Allen said his primary frustration stems from the alarming statistic that 80% of all gang-related murders in our country take place in the Western Cape. “We need to secure ample resources and bolster intelligence efforts to dismantle these gangs effectively,” emphasised Allen.

Allen told Radio Islam that while the current response reflects a reactionary stance, the goal is to empower the SAPS to fulfil its mandate, emphasising crime prevention, combatting, and investigation. He highlighted that proactive measures, particularly in crime prevention, are integral to achieving this objective, underscoring the importance of enhanced crime intelligence.

Allen stated that the night preceding the tragic shooting incident that claimed Firdous’s life, the area had already witnessed gunfire. Given the predictable pattern of retaliatory actions in such instances, it suggests that resources were available. The unfortunate event could possibly have been prevented with timely intervention and strategic allocation of resources.

As per Allen, a collaborative effort between the school, the Western Cape Education Department, and the Department of Social Development has been initiated, activating resources to provide essential trauma counselling and dispatching social workers to support the affected learners in accessing the assistance they need during this challenging time.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Habib Bobat and MEC Reagan Allen here.