LEMEESE STEYN | Government's intervention can reduce crime and gun violence in Westbury

On February 27, the Westbury community witnessed a repulsive occurrence where 11 people were shot and wounded and two killed within 24 hours. The motives behind these killings remain unknown. But section 12 of the South African constitution indicates that "Everyone has the right to be free from all forms of violence from either a public or private source". Yet, there is a lack of government intervention to alleviate poverty, unemployment and ruthless killings in Westbury.

Westbury, traditionally a working-class coloured neighbourhood, is still experiencing apartheid era social and economic ills, but now gun violence is an added factor. Urban segregation continues, with inadequate water, sanitation and energy reduction thriving. The exploitation of coloured communities is rooted in structural violence, involving multiple socioeconomic challenges which negatively affect families and communities.

SA’s racial stratification led to social and economic exclusion, where the white minority dominated in economics and politics and communities of colour were the vast majority of the working class in SA.

Black and coloured South Africans continue living in economically disadvantaged communities. These economic exploitations also contribute to intergenerational trauma. The ANC failed to resolve social, political and economic conditions where community members are isolated and dispossessed, with the unemployment rate at 25.9% in coloured communities like Westbury. They do not have access to social, recreational, and entrepreneurship programmes that would enhance their skills, knowledge and expertise required for the workplace.

One resident Melissa Davids stated "We want to work. I can tell you that. We want to do recreational activities, but nothing is coming to us".

This economic exclusion compels some residents to participate in unlawful activities to meet their daily sustenance. And in the absence of father figures, young men find solace in wielding guns as children do with toys. 

One of the Westbury protest in 2018 was sparked by the killing of an innocent woman, Heather Petersen. Her son was also wounded in a crossfire gang-related shooting.  

One resident argued: “The government degrade us. They know what’s going on here. Our people are dying daily and they’re doing absolutely nothing because they want to get rid of the coloured population. I understand the frustration of the residents.”

However, instead of this being a case of a government’s genocidal intent, it is instead a classic example of how neoliberal policies contribute to racial capitalism in SA. Not only coloured people, but a huge share of the working class is economically even more oppressed in post-apartheid SA. I draw this from Neville Alexander’s perspective on racial capitalism where race and capitalism are interconnected and used to racially devalue communities of colour.

Individuals experience sequential multiple discrimination including race, gender and socioeconomic status where young men fall prey and are lulled into street life. This makes you question the effectiveness of gender socialisation on how imprecise masculinity is transmitted and adapted throughout generations.

One can identify hegemonic masculinity in the Westbury community where young men engage in deviant behaviour to express their masculinity through criminal activities. In many cases, these crimes are committed because of absent father figures where these young men seek acknowledgment and validation from older men. These circumstances are also driven by social pressures to assimilate society’s definition of “being cool”.

You know that you live in a neglected environment where coloured men are more likely to see inside a coffin or prison than some see inside an institution of higher learning. 

The minute you step into Westbury, you can be a victim. I am as fearful as ever, and so is the rest of our community, as stated by one resident. This indicates that the government has failed to adequately address gang violence in coloured communities nor have any procedures or plans in place to eradicate gun violence.

Residents are living in unsafe and unbearable living conditions. This interrupts the daily lives of families and the community. Little attention is paid to this social problem which has caused the problem to rapidly fester turning what was once a minor issue into a social dilemma. 

The police minister Bheki Cele promised community members that the "South African police service Tactical Response Team (TRT) was released into the area to patrol". These strategies were ineffective hence gun violence continues to roar and rule the lives of innocent people. These ineffective strategies raise various questions: "Are coloured communities included in policymaking and government interest?" This community remains marginalised due to inattentional blindness from the government.

The government must evaluate and analyse the current social challenges in all coloured communities through the implementation of creative and innovative strategies that will alleviate violence and unemployment. This can be achieved through social policy by making provisions for all citizens. Essentially, subjecting people to despair and hopelessness is violent.

The Westbury community is trapped by a gun violence pandemic.

• Lemeese Steyn is a MA candidate at the department of sociology at University of Johannesburg.