Pagad supporters drove through the streets of Heideveld and threw firecrackers at the homes of suspected drug dealers.
|||Cape Town - Dozens of Pagad supporters drove through the streets of Heideveld on Wednesday night, shouting slogans and throwing firecrackers at the homes of suspected drug dealers.
The motorcade protest, which appears to have become a weekly occurrence, is part of the anti-drug group’s Ramadaan campaign.
Under the escort of police vehicles and a helicopter, the convoy snaked through Surrey Estate, via Manenberg, and on to Heideveld.
In recent weeks, Manenberg has been at the epicentre of a spate of gang-related shootings and murders.
“It’s been a difficult month for our communities. Our families no longer dare to come out at night. Our streets have been held to ransom by the merchants and the gangsters,” said Haroon Orrie, Pagad’s spokesman, addressing supporters after the motorcade.
“Tonight we saw the hope resurface. Hope that was taken away by the scourge of violence and drugs. People came outside and they felt safe again.”
Indeed, the streets of Heideveld were lined with onlookers. Some cheered as the convoy passed. The explosions from firecrackers were intermittently mistaken for gunfire, and the Cape Argus saw residents scrambling for cover on one occasion, only to re-emerge, laughing, when the misunderstanding became apparent.
Speaking to the Cape Argus on Wednesday, Pagad leader Abdus-Salaam Ebrahim said the group could “eradicate” the Cape Flats drug trade in six months “without spilling a single drop of blood or firing a single bullet”.
But only if the media and police would stop undermining it, he said.
“The power of a community that comes together in the name of justice and under God’s will always be stronger than the guns of drug-dealers and gangsters. Pagad has the ability to bring the community together in such a way.
“Once that has been achieved, we believe that the drug merchants would have no choice but to pack up shop and leave our communities in peace.”
Ebrahim criticised the media for insinuating links between Pagad and two pipe bombings in Athlone last week. The bombings, which targeted a car dealership and a home, took place near a motorcade organised as part of Pagad’s Ramadaan awareness campaign.
He said this had resulted in a steady stream of concerned supporters visiting Pagad’s offices. They had raised concerns over their safety and fears that they would be investigated by police if they associated with Pagad.
Despite believing drug dealers could be forced to leave the Cape Flats peacefully, Ebrahim says the organisation will protect and support members of the community who defend themselves through the use of violence.
“Pagad does not instruct members of the community to commit violence. But what if your daughter is raped and the police do nothing? What if that rapist returns the following week to rape your wife? What if you then kill that man? People have a divine right, one that is guaranteed by God and holy scriptures, to defend themselves.”
On Tuesday evening, a gang of men wearing balaclavas petrol-bombed a drug den in Grassy Park. They shot and killed a resident.
It was still unknown whether they were vigilantes or members of a rival drug gang, said Philip Bam, chairman of the Grassy Park Community Police Forum.
Ebrahim said he could not speculate on the attackers’ motives.
“But if they were acting in the best interests of their community, we support them. We always condemn the loss of innocent life but we say to parents and to spouses - do not allow your loved ones to be in such dens.”
daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za
Cape Argus
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