Cape Town – Pine Valley youth claim that the Wolseley SAPS say they are too afraid to come
to their community because of
Covid-19.
This emerged in a dialogue by the Witzenberg Justice Coalition, which looks into how households in the area have been impacted by Covid-19. The area was among the Covid-19 hot spots.
Naomi Betana, of the Witzenberg Justice Coalition, said the dialogues created a space for feminists and the youth to meet in a safe space and talk about the impact that Covid-19 has on their livelihoods, and in their communities.
“The young people from Pine Valley are confronted with struggles, such as gender-based violence (GBV) on a daily basis, high levels of alcohol abuse, food insecurity and high unemployment.
“Women abuse has become a second norm to most of these young women.
“When we phone SAPS Wolseley, they now argue that they are too afraid to come into the area due to Covid-19,” said Betana.
A Pine Valley community worker said the community was grappling with socio-economic issues, crime and gender-based violence.
She said cases of theft and rape have gone unreported in the community because of lack of engagement and support between the community and the police.
“When we call the police for a case of something like that, they say they can’t come because they are aware of the Covid-19.
“They are afraid they can become sick but we tell them they must help our community.
“It’s dangerous here and there’s no support from the police,” she said.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa advised the youth to make contact with the office of the cluster commander in Worcester for
further assistance as their allegations were serious and would warrant a proper probe.
“The SAPS in the Western Cape continually offers policing services to the various communities located within the provincial boundaries. The 151 police station shave been rendering uninterrupted services even during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“With a footprint in all communities, the Wolesley community is not the only area with a high incidence of Covid-19.
“Throughout the Western Cape, police still venture out to areas that are considered Covid-19 hot spots.”