Gangs agree to truce during lockdown
• Crime bosses said to make funds available to gang members to feed their families during the nationwide pandemic shutdown
Gangs in SA, which has one of the world’s highest homicide rates, have agreed to a ceasefire during the nationwide lockdown, which has caused a slump in narcotics supply and demand — with a resultant unprecedented drop in murders.
Gangs in SA have agreed to a ceasefire during the nationwide lockdown that has caused a slump in drug supply and demand with a resultant unprecedented drop in murders.
A network of gang leaders across the country’s nine provinces, known as the Council, has made funds available to gang members until June so they can feed their families during the shutdown, which aims to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said Welcome Witbooi, a former gang member who mediates between gangs, local communities and the police in the Western Cape.
“When our government announced the lockdown regulations, everyone started panicking about health but also about business prospects,” Witbooi said.
“We had a meeting with the Council and with them decided to put out a national call to all gangs to cease fire.”
Some gangs are even trying to “rebuild the relationship with the community” and are handing out food parcels to residents, he said.
SA’s lockdown, which started on March 27 and is due to last until end-April, is among the world’s strictest.
Dog-walking as well as alcohol and cigarette sales are prohibited, aircraft are grounded and most land and seaports have closed.
That has not only slashed demand for drugs but all but halted business with the Serbian, Chinese and Nigerian criminal networks that SA gangs usually work with, Witbooi said.
Cape Town is SA’s epicentre of gang activity and a key conduit for heroin trafficking, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised
Crime. Gangs are also involved in human trafficking, protection rackets and trade in other drugs including crystal meth.
The heroin trade alone is estimated to be worth about R5bn a year.
HIGHEST MURDER RATE
SA has Africa’s highest murder rate, with an average of more than 50 people killed daily, and has consistently ranked among the world’s 10 most violent countries.
Gangs are blamed for many of the 3,974 murders recorded in the Western Cape in the 12 months to March last year and the army was deployed to curb a surge in killings.
In normal times, the province’s murder rate is about 58 per 100,000 people, compared with a national average of 36, according to police data.
The national murder rate has dropped dramatically. Murders declined 71% in the week after the restrictions were imposed, to 94 from 326 in the same period last year, police minister Bheki Cele said on April 5.
Cases of assault with intention to inflict grievous bodily harm plunged 83%, to 456 from 2,673 last year.
Cele has credited the liquor ban with reducing crime and says he would like to extend it.
While it is positive that there are fewer killings, criminal networks have almost certainly switched to a thriving blackmarket trade in cigarettes and alcohol, DA police spokesperson Andrew Whitfield said.
“There’s a lot of money to be made for the gangs during the lockdown,” said Whitfield.
“It’s a lot easier for gangs or organised crime to bolster their coffers from the illicit trade than it is to go out and shoot at each other — just because there is a big police and army presence in the streets.”
Police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said the crime data speaks for itself.
Witbooi said rival gang members will be reluctant to continue the killings now.
“No-one will pick up a firearm now and shoot a rival gang member because they know that the Council is very strict when they impose something like this and will come down on you like a ton of bricks,” he said, adding that the truce may not hold beyond June.
“So it’s like one day you are helping the community and the next day you are killing the community.”
SA has seen a marked increase in demand for lemons from overseas markets, amid unverified claims that eating lemons and other foods commonly used as home remedies for flu and colds can help prevent infection with the new coronavirus,
More than 4.5-million cartons of lemons have been shipped to date, double the volumes of last year.
But according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “to date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus”.
“There is no scientific evidence that lemon ... prevents Covid-19. In general, however, WHO recommends consuming adequate fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.”
The bulk of SA’s lemon shipments (64%) have been sent to the Middle East, while Russiabound shipments have increased from 9% to 12%.
Shipping of soft citrus — a subdivision of citrus that has generally loose skin and is easy to peel, such as mandarins, clementines, and tangerines — (424,000 cartons to date) and grapefruit (411,000 cartons) are similar to the previous year’s exports at this time.
The increase in exports will boost foreign currency earnings and drive the state’s goal of increasing agricultural exports.
SA remains the secondlargest global exporter of citrus fruit after Spain.
Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association, said on Monday that while the industry was pleased with the growing demand for fruit, the sudden uptick in demand could threaten business continuity.
“This is why the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa has established a Covid-19 response committee. The committee will identify risks and opportunities arising from the pandemic and national lockdown and develop plans to address these issues going forward,” Chadwick said.
The committee has identified a number of risks that could affect the current export season. These include operational efficiency issues at ports; ensuring the health and safety of workers; transporting of workers to farms and citrus to ports; ensuring business continuity of supporting industries; obtaining necessary documentation for exports (for example, phytosanitary certificates and shipping cargo receipts); the continuation of fruit inspection services, and the cost and availability of ships.
“The [association] is working closely with various stakeholders including government departments, organised agriculture and the national joint command centre to mitigate these risks. However, challenges at some ports remain the biggest threat to the current citrus season,” Chadwick said.
Staff shortages and labour protests had affected operations at Cape Town and Durban ports over the past few weeks. A backup of nonessential containers that have not been moved or unpacked has caused bottlenecks at ports.
“These issues have been raised with Transnet management and the national joint command centre, and we welcome the steps taken to increase staff capacity at all ports as well as recent amendments to the Disaster Management Act regulations to allow for the movement of both essential and nonessential cargo at ports.
Chadwick said that despite those risks, the industry is cautiously optimistic in terms of the current export season.
“The association remains committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure it meets its responsibilities and uses its privileged position as an essential food producer wisely during the national lockdown,” he said.