As police probe the murder of a Siqalo informal settlement leader, a councillor in neighbouring Mitchells Plain has cited the latest killing as evidence of the escalation of crime in the area.
According to reports, the 57-year-old man was shot in front of his house shortly after 10pm on Friday.
Ward 43 councillor Elton Jansen said the man’s murder was further evidence to avoid relocating illegal dwellers from the Central Line to the area owing to the high levels of crime.
Plans by the Housing Development Agency (HDA) and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) are under way to relocate hundreds of families from the railway tracks in Langa to the Weltevreden Wedge under Jansen’s ward.
Jansen said he was saddened to hear about the community leader’s murder.
“It is with great sadness that I have learnt that one of the Siqalo committee members was shot and killed (on Friday) night by unknown gunmen.”
Police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said a murder case had been registered for investigation and no arrests had been made as yet.
“This strengthens my call for Prasa to abandon their plans to relocate the people currently living on the Central railway line to a piece of land next to Siqalo on the Philippi wedge. The area is not safe,” Jansen said.
He said residents in Siqalo had complained about increased crime rates.
“A few months ago I attended a meeting with the Philippi SAPS station commander where these safety concerns were raised. I arranged this meeting at the request of the Siqalo residents to highlight their concerns pertaining to safety and crime.
“We cannot allow more people to be dumped on top of a very crime-sensitive area. Putting poverty upon poverty is making matters worse in this area,” he said.
Another Siqalo community leader, Sakhumzi Kakaza, said Prasa was to blame for the squabble over the proposed relocation.
“They first promised us that we will move to that area because we were told that we are in a (privately owned land). We do not get services here and it is congested,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the murder incident is requested to contact Crime Stop on 0860010111.