Article 1

How do people become gangsters? Most people are roped into gangsterism at an early age, from the ages of ten to sixteen years. Their leaders would be between thirty and fifty years of age. Because of the povertystricken environments they come from, many males are drawn into the gang arena by the attraction of money, power and glamour with which they associate gangsterism. They dream of the flashy cars, massive gold jewellery, immense amounts of money, and the power to control a whole town as their ultimate goal. In reality, however, it is far from being what they thought it would be. Yet, as youngsters, they do not see further than their own ignorance. From the moment they join a gang, their lives become an orgy of murders, robberies, rapes and drunkenness that they would sometimes not understand or have wanted. Sub-economic areas, where gangsterism is the most prevalent and problematic, are good training grounds for would-be gangsters. In most instances, both parents are either unemployed or both are working, leaving their children unattended or with strangers. Gangs quickly exploit such situations. In fact, they thrive on it, offering youngsters a surrogate family setup which gives the youngsters a sense of belonging. In most cases, youths are used to commit the crimes - such as murder, rape, etc effectively obscuring the leadership from being identified. Often, the order to commit a crime is filtered thorugh the ranks of a gang. Thus, the person committing the crime never knows who gave the order. The police, therefore, are never able to get hold of the leadership. Smaller gangs, usually made up of youngsters, are also normally swallowed up by larger, more prominent gangs who then use the youngsters to commit the crimes for them. This is evident in the number of youngsters being arrested for murder and possession of illegal firearms. It must also be noted that there are females in gangs as well. Girls on drugs, or those prostituting for gangs sometimes class themselves as gang members. They may form their own gang, which is regarded as an affiliate of the main, male-dominated gang. Females never attain any status of importance within any of the large gangs. They are usually used by gang leaders to do jobs men would otherwise find more difficult, like smuggling drugs or coercing prostitutes into the gangs prostitution ring. It is rare for a female to get involved in a gang fight between male gangs.

The areas in Cape Town identified as gang hotspots include Mitchells Plain, Hanover Park/Philippi, Manenberg, Bishop Lavis and Elsies River. It is within these areas that gangs have the most influence. It is also here where youngsters are taught their first steps into the world of the gang. Because of the violence caused by fighting between gangs, many innocent people including women and children - get caught in the crossfire. Many have been maimed for life. Countless others have lost their lives. Recent newspaper reports attest to that. The SAPSs Operation Slasher noted that it took about 20 years for communities to become fed-up with gangsters. They would then form community organisations to eradicate gangs from their areas. In 1950 it was the Globe Gang, in 1970 the Peace Makers and in 1996 it was People AgainstGangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD). When threatened, gangs would form alliances among themselves to help fight against the community or police. The extent of the problem in South Africa is so far-reaching that nobody not the police or government can say when gangsterism would be addressed in its finality. Many are still unconvinced that increasing police force members would stop or reduce gang activities, not only in Cape Town, but South Africa as a whole. It would seem that self-defence of individuals and communities is the only way to fight gangsterism. The police and government have thus far failed. Many innocent people are losing their lives while the police concentrate on disarming rather than arming the people. If people in gang-ridden areas were taught to arm themselves and take a stand against the thugs that traumatise them daily, the gangsters would have the tables turned on them. The truth is, gangsters prefer unarmed victims and like all criminals, gangsters fear armed citizens.