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Gang activity has come to the forefront within Osizweni, with gangsters now finding themselves living in fear, rather than community members they preyed on.
This comes on the heels of the South African Police Service (SAPS) deploying the Tactical Response Team (TRT) in Osizweni, KwaZulu-Natal to stomp out the petulant issue. The TRT’s function is to combat crime, address crime through well-planned intelligence-driven operations and restore public order (crowd management).
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Discussing the matter further, Osizweni SAPS Station Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Gerhardt Neethling confirmed that the TRT has been ordered to keep a vigilant eye on Osizweni for at least a month. However, depending on the situation, the team might be ordered to stay longer. Additionally, the Osizweni SAPS is enhancing its efforts in keeping gangs at bay, through a series of operations.
While not being able to elaborate too much as to ensure gang members are kept in the dark, Lt Col Neethling said one of the operations involved strategic shift changes. “We have day and night shift, but we now also have random times, so that the gang members are not able to see a pattern,” he pointed out.
On top of this, the SAPS are now conducting several patrols throughout the day and night, at sporadic times, keeping the criminal element on its toes.
Deliberating on the enhanced police activity in Osizweni, Lt Col Neethling highlighted that there was a lot less movement now taking place during the night in Osizweni. He enthused that the past weekend also saw a drastic drop in serious crimes, as the increased police visibility was now deterring criminal action.
The major drive to sort out the considerable gang issue stems from continued and unimaginable levels of violence imposed on the innocent through these gangsters.
For example, on 8 August 2022, a man was robbed of his cellphone before being stabbed. Following this, on the same day, a group of men robbed a local shebeen. The perpetrators in both cases were allegedly the same people.
This resulted in community members rallying together, finding two men in Section E, Osizweni, and assaulting the gangsters to the point where they were required to be hospitalised.
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On 23 August 2022, a group of approximately 100 community members assaulted a man, allegedly linked to the Last Warning (a youth-based gang) before placing a tyre over him, setting it alight and burning the young man to death.
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Following the two serious acts of retribution and police investigations into both underway, Lt Col Neethling pointed out that tensions in Osizweni were currently less strained.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback from the community, who are happy that we have increased visibility even further,” he said.
As the Osizweni SAPS now takes the fight to the Osizweni youth-based gangs, what are your thoughts on the above-mentioned?
Share your views in the comment section below.
One Response
So grateful that something is being done to eradicate this crime