Western Premier Helen Zille and Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa met on Thursday to discuss possible interventions to
try and combat gang violence in hotspot areas.
Premier Zille’s Spokesperson Zak Mbhele
said there was a broad agreement that a holistic approach is important in the
long term.
However they were not able to arrive on the
same page in terms of the need for a temporary army deployment as a piece
keeping force to stabilise crisis areas, in the immediate time frame.
“We still believe very strongly that the
army is important in certain situations for the short term to address crises situations
however the police minister does not agree,” added Mbhele.
He also said that their call still remains
that the army is an important supplement to support the police in situations
where it is needed, so that the police can do their core work of
investigations, arrests and ensuring convictions in courts so that gang members
responsible for violence can be deterred from that kind of criminality in
future.
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