Heated discussion in Diepsloot

On 13 March, residents of Diepsloot congregated in the Youth Community Centre with Ward 95 councillor Roger Makhubele, Major General Oswald Reddy of Honeydew police, and a number of Diepsloot community activists and police officials to discuss issues plaguing the community.

The discussion was mediated by Talk Radio 702 presenter Xolani Gwala on his afternoon drive show.

An issue brought up by an increasingly hostile Diepsloot audience was that of illegal immigrants living in the area, with one resident claiming that illegal immigrants allegedly make up 70 percent of the community. However, ward councillor Mahkubele, along with provincial manager for Home Affairs Albert Matsaung, said there has been insufficient documentation or statistics regarding the amount of illegal immigrants.

Matsaung stated that Diepsloot is one of the fastest growing settlements in Johannesburg, which possibly attributed to this struggle. He also said that the department regularly carries out raids, citing a recent clamp-down that resulted in the arrest of 145 illegal immigrants.

Papi Sathekge, a community activist working with the Diepsloot Youth Programme, stated that the lack of proper statistics surrounding illegal immigrants would cause major difficulties in establishing a budget for development in the community and urged residents in Diepsloot to take charge of obtaining the accurate records.

Other issues which came to the fore were unemployment – it’s estimated that between 60 and 70 percent of Diepsloot residents are jobless – as well as drugs, notably Nyaope. But the most-discussed topic focused on crime in the Diepsloot area.

Refilwe Mathebula, a Democratic Alliance proportional representative councillor said, “Crime here is every day. You know after 9pm you shouldn’t be on the streets.”

Members of the audience argued among each other, as one resident claimed the rise in crime could be attributed to the involvement of the police, while others argued that crime has decreased due to police involvement. Members of the audience attested to a clear lack of communication between the authorities and community members, and a lack of alleged visibility and accountability among police officials.

With the conversation turning into an argument, a number of officials were booed by a hostile crowd which became hard to control, clearly displaying the anger felt by residents of Diepsloot.