The Kouga Municipality
strongly condemns the surge in violence in Humansdorp following a spate of
gang-related violence over recent months.
Kouga Executive
Mayor, Horatio Hendricks said, “We strongly condemn these acts of gangsterism.”
“Violence is not
the answer to a problem, especially gang-related violence that destroys
communities – claiming innocent lives in the process.”
In a bid to keep
Humansdorp – and Kouga as a whole – safe, the municipality has installed
several cameras across the region.
These close-circuit
television (CCTV) cameras and automatic number plate recognition surveillance
cameras are monitored 24/7 by a trained team at the municipality’s Integrated
Intelligence Operation Centre in Humansdorp.
The municipality,
furthermore, works in close collaboration with all relevant role players,
including the South African Police Service, civic rights organisations,
municipal departments, law enforcement, private security companies, and
emergency agencies.
More cameras will
be installed soon, while additional high mast lights will be erected in crime
hot spot areas.
“We need to make
our voices heard,” said Hendricks who pleads with the community to take hands
with the municipality in the fight against gang-related violence.
“We need to fight
this scourge with all the might we have. Residents must live in peace. Women
and children must feel safe on the streets, at their homes and at work.”
