[image: Facebook / Pagad G-Force]

Law enforcement continues to lose the battle against gang warfare in large parts of Cape Town.

Manenberg has seen “all-out war” for months as gangs battle for control of the streets and videos of shootings in broad daylight are sadly all too common.

The most recent spate of shootings is rumoured to be the result of a war between two gangs, the Clever Kids and the Hard Livings.

A video filmed on Thursday has once again shone a light on how Manenberg residents are “being held hostage and live in fear”. This one features what IOL says is a group of around 20 men firing at each other:

One of the shooters, who appears to be handling a machine gun, goes on his knees and fires a volley of shots, before lifting the gun in the air and handing it to another shooter to have a turn.

At the end of the video, the shooters are seen running in different directions.

Police spokesperson Colonel André Traut says the Anti-Gang Unit was sent to the area but it’s unclear if any arrests were made.

Manenberg Cape Town Automatic Rifles in broad daylight Atleast there’s Dudula in Cape Town now @nhlanhla_lux_ please organise a visit pic.twitter.com/Qx1eQ7MvqE

— M A S I X O L E 🇿🇦 🇦🇪 🇹🇭🇵🇭 🇺🇸🇰🇪🇶🇦 (@masixole_l) May 20, 2022

The same video can be viewed on Facebook here.

South African Human Rights Commissioner Chris Nissen called the situation in Manenberg “a bloody war zone”.

On Thursday, this image and audio recorded by a teacher was also widely shared:

[LISTEN] Gunshots going off in Manenberg close to a primary school. A teacher recorded the gun sounds as they hide under schools desks with the traumatized children pic.twitter.com/PhvlgNXcS7

— Veve (@LudidiVelani) May 19, 2022

Nobody should have to live like this.

Additional police officers were deployed in the area this weekend but community activists say that alone is not enough.

Roegshanda Pascoe says access to guns needs to be curbed, per IOL:

“As activists in Manenberg (when we) claim that they are using automatic weapons, we were always made out as liars. How did the gang come about to have that weapon? The gangs are showing us how deep the corruption is and its being used among civilians that most pay the price with their lives and are not part of these gangs. That is the greatest concern.

“Deploying a number of police officers in the area is not the answer to the problem, some of the policemen themselves are in danger because some of their colleagues are the corrupt ones.”

Traut pointed to an arrest made early Sunday morning in Allison Court, Heideveld, when a suspect was apprehended with an unlicensed revolver and ammunition, as an example of how the presence of additional forces can bring stability.

One gets the feeling it will take far more than a lone arrest to bring peace to these streets.

[sources:iol&iol]