Coffin protest echoes gangland pain
After spending the weekend sleeping in a coffin in front of Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle’s office in Bhisho, ANC MPL Christian Martin will now take his plight to the party’s provincial headquarters in King William’s Town.
The sleep-in by Martin and Khoisan chiefs Crawford Fraser and Cora Hennings was an attempt to highlight the gang violence in Port Elizabeth’s northern areas.
It follows a protest at the Bethelsdorp police station on Thursday, where they planted 78 crosses – representing the number of people killed in gang violence in the Bay between April 1 and October 30.
At least six more have died since then.
“If these people had slept in front of the premier’s office instead, they would be alive today or they would have died of natural causes,” Martin said.
“They would not have been murdered by gangs.
“The premier’s office is highly guarded and protected, we are very safe here.”
The coffin represented the “uncomfortable and awkward” conditions in which the people of the northern areas lived.
The activists also erected crosses outside the Bhisho legislature in a poignant reminder of the number of deaths.
“We are crying out for help – our youth is truly a lost generation and soon we will have more elderly people in our communities if this continues.
“These killings of innocent people can be likened to a selfinflicted genocide.
“Youngsters are being killed by our own children and our only crime is living in these areas,” Martin said.
Engagements with police minister Bheki Cele were ongoing and Martin said he expected to meet Masualle on Monday.
“If the premier does not meet us on Monday, only then will we throw our toys out of the cot,” he said.
The intention was not to play a blame game, he said.
“We can’t blame the government for the gangsterism that is happening in the northern areas,” he said.
“This is a self-inflicted genocide because police don’t come in there and shoot us, we are shooting each other.”
Fraser said the sleep-in was personal for him as his sister had been killed when a stray bullet punctured her heart.
Hennings said the situation in the northern areas had become unacceptable.
“This is a potent situation for us because our kids are dying daily,” Hennings said.
“As concerned parents, we cannot allow this to continue.”
Hennings said witnesses were also being killed daily.
Martin said among the requests in the memorandum he hoped to hand over was one for a police station in the newly developed Chatty area and for a special gang unit.
“We are not saying these things [in the memorandum] will be the only solution ... but we are requesting the intervention of other departments as well,” he said.
“The department of education and social development will also play a role in finding a solution.”
Masualle’s spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, said they had been unaware of the activists’ plans until they pitched a tent on Friday.
“The chief of staff has been in contact with the MPL regarding the correspondence he wanted to send to the premier,” Kupelo said.
He could not say whether a meeting would be possible as the premier would be away on Monday.
Asked if someone would accept the memorandum, Kupelo said: “We don’t know their plans, it is difficult to say anything at this stage.
“Martin sent an e-mail referring to an attachment; we then responded telling him his e-mail had no attachment.
“Then he was spotted pitching a tent with crosses outside.
“We will try and find out what his statement is supposedly saying today and request a copy of the attachment.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said there had been no gang shootings in the northern areas at the weekend.
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