Abahlali: We're in a war zone!

RESIDENTS and community leaders from Brown's Farm in Philippi, Cape Town are happy after their kasi finally got a satellite police station.

Brown's Farm is known for hijackings and gender-based violence, among other crimes, but residents are hopeful that having a cop shop will contribute towards fighting crime.

Abahlali said sometimes they feel like they're in a war zone because of the shootings and killings that happen in their kasi. The cop shop that residents had awaited for years was opened earlier this month on Friday, 2 August.

"Our children don't fear gunshots anymore because they hear them every day. They're not scared of seeing dead people on the streets because they see them every day. We live as if we are in Ukraine where there is a war. I hope the new cop shop will bring the much-needed peace in our kasi," said resident Sibusiso Nodada (35).

South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) leader in the area, Nhlanhla Kamuteni, told Daily Sun that they've already started seeing results.

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"We're already seeing increased patrols in our kasi because criminals know cops are nearby. Hijackings have plagued this area, and we expect more changes as the cop shop is now nearby," said Kamuteni.

The community leader's observation was echoed by community police forum secretary Dumisani Qwabe, who said the cop shop came after a long wait.

He said within the Nyanga policing precinct, Brown's Farm is problematic when it comes to hijackings, murders, and gender-based violence.

"The cop shop will go a long way to push down the crime that has plagued this area. Criminals knew that cops had to drive from Nyanga to Philippi, but the response time was too long. Now they're at a spot where they can quickly react and deal with the criminals. We're happy about the developments, and we're hoping that by the time we get to December, the impact of the cop shop will be clear," said Qwabe.

Resident Zukiswa Gqoloma (61) said she's happy their kasi finally has a functional cop shop. She said they used to have a satellite at the Philippi train station, but it was closed and it was "useless".

"They didn't have electricity at that building, and it would close at 5pm, and the cops would move to Nyanga SAPS. At least this one's open 24 hours and they have electricity. It shows that they're serious. I'm also happy that this cop shop has been opened during Women's Month. I hope this will help to fight GBV that has affected our kasi," she said.

The cop shop has been opened at the Brown's Farm library, a place which was a hotspot for hijackings and robberies.