‘Where are the gangsters?’ asks Ramaphosa, while surrounded by the gangsters

The president talked tough in Cape Town while the young criminals themselves laughed a few feet away.

President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to a Hanover Park resident. Picture: Ashraf Hendricks

President Cyril Ramaphosa emerged from a BMW SUV with his full security entourage and stepped on to the trash-laden, gang-ruled streets of Cape Town’s Hanover Park.

Crowds of people, young and old, gathered to see the president. Hundreds of police officers surrounded the area, with army snipers set up on rooftops.

“Where are the gangsters?” asked the president. “I want to meet them. I want to take them on,” he said with a laugh. The crowds cheered.

President Cyril Ramaphosa interacts with the community of Hanover Park in Cape Town ahead of launch of the South African Police Servics Anti Gang Unit in the Western Cape Province .#AntiGangUnit pic.twitter.com/dFQ8bJuxGn

— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) November 2, 2018

Ramaphosa was in Hanover Park on Friday morning for a walkaround to meet the residents of the dangerous suburb and to announce his gang task-force police initiative.

“The anti-gang unit is made up of members from specialised units with an objective to dislodge and terminally weaken the capacity of the gangs, and to disorganise and fundamentally disable the criminal economy linked to gangsterism, including drug and firearm supply lines or other identified commodities,” according to a ministry of police statement. The unit has been operational in Nyanga, Bonteheuwel and Bishop Lavis since October.

Premier Helen Zille joined Ramaphosa on the walkabout.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the official Launch of the Anti-Gang Unit in Hanover Park #AntiGangUnit https://t.co/WJv3jn1TKI

— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) November 2, 2018

Hanover Park is a part of the Philippi police precinct. Police crime statistics show that the number of murders in the precinct rose from 19 in 2009, to 35 in 2012, to 74 in 2015, and to 87 in 2018 (source: Crime Stats SA).

The president walked about the streets of Hanover Park to shake hands, kiss babies, and make his stance against gang violence clear.

“We are very happy to be here among you,” he said. “And we are happy to silence the gangs. Our presence here shows the gangs that we are not afraid of them and we are coming after them.”

“We must give jobs!” yelled an older Hanover Park woman, who was no more than five feet from the president. “We must give jobs to the gangsters! It’s not all about the violence!”

The president led a chant with the crowd: “Down with the gangsters! Phantsi!” He continued, “Gangsters do not belong among our people.”

The same woman replied to the president: “Your political party does nothing for us!”

The woman’s son is a gangster, and she was adamant that putting the gangs in jail will do nothing to change the neighborhood.

“We need housing!” she said. “Every neighbourhood around here got government houses except us. We need jobs. My son is a gangster and he is at home doing nothing.”

The president continued his walkabout, and assured people that the task force would find the gangsters and put them in jail.

A group of young men watched him from 10 feet away and laughed.

“We like the president,” said one of the men. “There is peace. No shooting today. He should come every week. Usually there’s killing, every day, all the time. Not today.”

These men turned out to all be gang members.

They found the president’s plan amusing.

“If they send us to jail,” said one. “We will just leave and come back. That’s what will happen.”