The African National Congress totally condemns all forms of lawlessness and views last week’s looting of township shops in Grahamstown as a serious violation of human and legal rights which can only be described as criminal.
The African National Congress totally condemns all forms of lawlessness and views last week’s looting of township shops in Grahamstown as a serious violation of human and legal rights which can only be described as criminal.
It is disturbing to have observed so many people of all ages and walks of life feeling entitled to steal the property and shatter the livelihoods of others. As the ANC, we were aware of the allegations of sinister murders that were circulating in the community in recent weeks.
When the Ministers Fraternal called for a general meeting to address issues of crime, the ANC and its councillors fully participated. On Sunday, 19 October, a special prayer service was held on Mt Zion, focusing on crime rates and fears.
Then, on 21 October, when word of the looting was first received at the Municipality, it called an emergency meeting of community stakeholders at City Hall. This served to inform them about the situation and allowed different role-players to volunteer their services.
From this, an arrangement was made to provide for the secure sheltering and feeding of people who felt unsafe to remain with their shops. The Municipality immediately made plans to do community outreach the next day.
Special gathering sites were identified to cover all wards, where councillors and officials of the SAPS could address residents to explain what was known about the situation. The Mayor and a delegation of councillors and officials also visited the displaced people in their place of safety on Wednesday night to reassure them of the best intentions of the larger part of the Grahamstown community.
Radio, social media and loud-hailing were used to inform people about these meetings, which happened on Thursday afternoon. In most places, the explanations were accepted that the rumours about alleged murders, mutilations and ritual killings were not true and had become wildly exaggerated.
In some instances, however, the participation of the SAPS was not welcomed. At the BB Zondani Hall, the residents became hostile and damaged vehicles. A large delegation of local clergy visited the displaced people on Thursday night, sharing with them the sincere intention to bring the chaos to an end.
At a second general stakeholder meeting at City Hall on Friday, the approach for restoring things to normal was agreed upon. The Municipality’s main function is to provide support in getting information out to the community and to bring together interest groups from across the social spectrum.
Important decisions relating to safety and security and how to assist the victims rest with a Joint Operations Committee (JOC) which includes the SAPS, relevant government departments, as well as representatives from the Municipality. The goals of the ANC and the Municipality are to assist, by every means possible, to get the word out that the rumours – which apparently triggered the actions – are completely untrue and then to work towards rebuilding communities and re-integrating those who have been displaced.
This programme is now being rolled out, starting with a detailed official statement from the police about the cases they have dealt with in the past six months. This needs to be taken to every corner of Makana and shared with people in all walks of life. All residents who can assist with this in any way are encouraged to take up the campaign for the truth.
Once the wider community has been convinced that there is no risk in allowing shop owners to return to their premises, then a coordinated programme of re-integration will be developed. We owe it to our neighbours who live among us and who offer a valuable service, to assure them of their safety in Grahamstown.
We must also teach our children, friends and family members that it can never be right to steal from others. From this tragic experience, it is hoped that habits of good citizenship will come to replace those of fear and retribution. Any instance of wrong-doing must be reported through the proper channels and dealt with by law-enforcement agencies.
* Julia Wells is Chief Whip of the ANC at Makana Municipality
