Dear Stellenbosch member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety, municipal manager and Cloetesville police, I am writing this letter on behalf of the concerned residents of Cloetesville, who are living in constant fear and uncertainty due to ongoing and increasing incidents of gun violence in our area.
The situation has become unbearable. Daily shootings have turned our once-peaceful neighbourhood into a war zone.
Innocent lives are being lost; most recently a 10-year-old boy was tragically shot. This is not an isolated case.
Many innocent people, including children, have been caught in the crossfire of senseless violence over the past few months. Our community is traumatised.
Parents are afraid to leave their homes for work, especially now during the school holidays when children are at home. People are too scared to walk in the streets, and our children no longer feel safe in their own yards.
This is no way to live.
We have made countless pleas for assistance, but it feels as though our cries have fallen on deaf ears.
The Cloeteville community cannot wait any longer while more lives are lost.
We urgently request the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to Cloetesville to stabilise the situation and support local police in restoring safety and order.
The current response is simply not enough to address the scale of this crisis.
We are calling on you, as the leading officials responsible for the safety of all residents, to take this matter to the highest level. The time has come for decisive action. We also urge the Stellenbosch mayor, Law Enforcement, and the police to treat this as a state of emergency.
Our community cannot survive more loss, more trauma and more fear. We await your urgent response and action.
CONCERNED CLOETESVILLE RESIDENTS
