Deputy President Paul Mashatile met with young people during the Presidency Youth Engagement programme held at the Thusong Centre in Khayelitsha op Tuesday, 10 February.
At the event, organised by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), young people raised concerns about unemployment, crime and extortion.
Among those present was Khayelitsha Business Forum (KBF) secretary Thokozile Qalanto, who called for the removal of Western Cape Police Commissioner Maj-Gen Thembisile Patekile, accusing him of failing to address crime in the area. She described crime as a major obstacle to development in Khayelitsha.
“We fully support the NYDA programme. It provides opportunities for young people. However, we believe there is little that Patekile is doing to fight extortion in our communities. He has failed dismally and must go,” she said.
Qalanto added that the government needed to invest more funding in youth organisations to help uplift young people.
Viwe Putuma, a young businesswoman from Mfuleni who runs a bakery, told Mashatile that extortion was her biggest challenge. She said unknown men had visited her business demanding a “protection fee” and that she feared for her safety.
“They said I must give them R1 from each loaf I sell,” she said.
Mashatile acknowledged that crime levels in the country were high and described extortion as a serious concern. He said he would engage with the Minister of Police to address the issue and explore possible solutions.
“The Minister of Police has a task team that is looking specifically at extortion to make sure people are safe. But people also need to report these kinds of incidents to the police,” he said.
