Khayelitsha Killings: Minister Fritz welcomes court appearance of accused | Western Cape Government

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Khayelitsha Killings: Minister Fritz welcomes court appearance of accused

21 May 2021

Today, the Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, welcomes the appearance in court of three accused in connection with the killings in Khayelitsha over the past weekend, in which 13 people have died. One further suspect appeared yesterday. The cases have been preliminarily withdrawn against seven of the initial 11 who were arrested on Monday morning pending further investigation.

Minister Fritz said, “I am pleased to note the progress that the SAPS is making in this matter. Members of the public might at first be concerned that the case has been withdrawn against seven of the 11 suspects arrested on Monday, but we must remember that it is a preliminary withdrawal; and that suspects can be charged at any stage. The Western Cape Government, in terms of its oversight role, will keep a close eye on these cases, and ensure that there are no policing inefficiencies. We cannot allow for crime to pay in our province.”

Minister Fritz also raised concern over the total of 40 gunshot fatalities in the city of Cape Town over the past weekend.

Minister Fritz: “The ongoing use of firearms in various crimes is a concern and it is something that we are prioritizing in terms of the Safety Plan.  By any standards 40 deaths by gunshot wound over a period of just three days is a staggering number and In light of this, we have to ask again how the National Government sees fit to cut the budgets of the SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority. SAPS has been under-resourced in the Western Cape for years. We simply cannot afford further cuts!”

Minister Fritz concluded, “We look forward to the deployment of an additional 250 LEAP Officers by the Western Cape Government, on 1 July 2021. A further 250 will then be trained and deployed on 1 October 2021. From the Provincial Government’s side, we recognize the importance of policing capacity and we’ve worked hard to make that happen. What we saw in Khayelitsha this past weekend cannot be the norm. 40 gunshot fatalities over a three-day period cannot be the norm. We need to pull together as the whole of society and confront this scourge head-on. We will beat crime and eradicate violence from our communities.”

Media Enquiries: 

Wade Seale
Tel: 021 483 6326
Cell: 072 889 8122
Email: Wade.Seale@westerncape.gov.za