Cape Town - Following the arrest of a suspect related to an Eastern Cape murder investigation, Khayelitsha community leaders are urging for more interprovincial cooperation.
This comes after members of Cape Town Public Order Police assisted detectives from Gonubie in the Eastern Cape with the arrest of a suspect who is believed to be one of four accomplices in a business robbery that led to the death of a 33-year-old man who was shot and killed during the robbery.
Provincial spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut said that the suspect was traced to his new residential area in Site 13 Khayelitsha and, from there, the residence was raided and the suspect was caught.
"The identified residence was raided and the 40-year-old suspect was arrested for a murder he committed in Gonubie and upon the raid, police found unlicensed 9mm pistol, ammunition, a bulletproof vest, a reflector jacket, and a hand radio, all believed to be stolen property, said Traut.
Khayelitsha Community Police Forum secretary Phindile George said that the swift, coordinated approach of SAPS to apprehend the suspect must be commended as it proves that state resources are being used properly and yielding good results.
"This now leaves community members to work together with SAPS and local safety structures to provide critical information to help combat crime.
"Communities must organise themselves from street level up, by building street committees, block committees, and community neighbourhood watches to ensure that anyone relocating into a particular community is vetted to understand who they are, where they are coming from, and can the community they are coming from make reference to their behaviour, because more often than not, some are relocating due to being convicted of breaking the law and end up being a problem to the new host community.
"So communities must move into a new way of doing things and start requesting referrals from other communities where people are moving from so that the new host community can understand who they are dealing with," said George.
Provincial community policing forum (CPF) board chairperson Fransina Lukas said much more partnership and cooperation such as this needs to take place across the country to leave no place for criminals to hide.
"We commend the good work done by both provinces to apprehend the suspect and, more importantly, for catching him in possession of a firearm. We know that firearms are a big problem in the streets. It is the cause of many unnecessary killings and deaths, so one firearm off the street is a victory for us.
"We want to see more of this kind of partnership cooperation to make sure that there is no corner and there is no place for criminals to hide in South Africa. So we want to commend the police on their good work and sympathise with the family of the deceased who died at the hands of the suspect. We hope justice will prevail and that this suspect will soon answer in court so the family can find healing and peace with their loss," said Lukas.
Traut added that the suspect has been detained and is expected to make his court appearance in Khayelitsha once he has been charged.
"Following his first court appearance, he will be transported to the Eastern Cape to face the murder charge against him," said Traut.
Weekend Argus