Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Lisa Schickerling MP.
The DA condemns the horrific mass shootings that have claimed 27 lives in Gauteng and the Western Cape within a matter of hours.
Seventeen people were killed at a tavern in Wedela, while another 10 were killed in Lwandle. We extend our deepest condolences to every family that has lost a loved one and wish those injured a full recovery.
South Africa cannot become accustomed to heavily armed criminals walking into public places, killing people and disappearing without consequences.
These attacks demand more than manhunts after the bloodshed. South Africa needs a strengthened Crime Intelligence capability that can penetrate criminal networks, identify threats and disrupt gangs, extortion networks and organised crime before they strike.
But the instability at the very top of policing is not helping.
The Madlanga Commission has heard serious allegations and evidence concerning criminal infiltration, corruption and political interference within the criminal justice system. At the same time, South Africa continues to have both an Acting Minister of Police and an Acting National Police Commissioner.
President Cyril Ramaphosa must urgently appoint a permanent Minister of Police with a clear mandate to stabilise SAPS, strengthen Crime Intelligence and lead an intelligence-driven offensive against organised criminal networks.
The DA also calls for an immediate multidisciplinary operation bringing together Crime Intelligence, specialised detectives, the Hawks, firearm tracing and forensic capacity to identify and dismantle the networks behind mass shootings, gangsterism and extortion.
The growing number of women whose bodies have been discovered in Ekurhuleni is also a cause for serious concern. Eleven women’s bodies have now been discovered in the area since July, with police investigating whether some of the cases may be linked.
This is why Parliament’s urgent debate on the escalating violence against women in Ekurhuleni is crucial. The DA has formally requested that Parliament hold a debate of national importance on the crisis and has called for urgent action and accountability.
Law enforcement agencies cannot only arrive after the killers have fled. They need the intelligence, leadership and capacity to identify threats, disrupt criminal networks and prevent further bloodshed.