Rehana Rossouw
PEOPLE Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) campaign in Cape Town is beginning to affect police attempts to combat crime, the South African Police Service (SAPS) claimed this week.
Western Cape police representative, senior superintendent John Sterrenberg, said between April and last week Pagad held 43 demonstrations and marches which have been policed by 4 328 members of the SAPS and 2 075 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). This cost the taxpayer more than R1-million.
“Besides the potential for conflict, the police have to monitor Pagad’s activities to ensure the rights of the individual to peaceful protest as well as protecting the rights of all citizens,” Sterrenberg said.
Pagad split into two factions last month. One faction is led by the organisation’s original leaders, Farouk Jaffer and Ali Phantom Parker, the other by militant Muslim group Qibla.
Sterrenberg said the split meant there were two marches or demonstrations almost every Wednesday and Saturday and this effectively tied up hundreds of policemen who could better occupy their time fighting crime. Not true, said Farouk Jaffer. He claimed that since Pagad began its campaign, crime in the Cape had decreased by 23%.
“Gangsters and dealers are now aware that their neighbours and their communities are watching them, and some have stopped their illegal activities,” Jaffer said.
“That is because of us, not because of the police. The police are just too lazy to do their work properly and like to blame us for giving them extra work to do.”
In the past week, police have clamped down on Pagad after warning them that they would no longer tolerate the carrying of arms in public and wearing disguises.
On Saturday, nine members of the Qibla faction were arrested at a march in Atlantis and warned to appear in court to face charges relating to carrying weapons at a march and charges under the Prohibition of Disguises Act.
The demonstrators were arrested after a scuffle with police where they refused to hand over weapons they were carrying publicly. Police confiscated pistols and shotguns, all of which were licensed.
Jaffer said his Pagad faction was prepared to co-operate with the police to an extent. “We have agreed with them as far as hiding our faces is concerned, except for the women, they have to wear scarves as it is part of their purdah. “We have also explained to the police that sometimes members of the community assist us by pointing out dealers and gangsters. Such persons have to cover their faces for their own protection.
“As far as firearms are concerned, if the police won’t allow us to protect ourselves during our marches, they will just have to continue coming to every march with their guns.
“If anything should happen to any of us because we are not armed, we are going to hold the police responsible and sue them from here to Timbuktu.”
None of the members of the Qibla-led faction of Pagad could be contacted for comment.
Sterrenberg said the police again called on any people intending to exercise their right to peaceful protest to ensure that it remained peaceful and did not infringe on the rights of others.
“We ask that participants in demonstrations stay within the parameters of the law and heed the reasonable requests of police.”