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Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867614141094559744 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Mlomzale, Mfundo |
| author2 | Xaba, Nkhaba Jantjie |
| author_browse | Mlomzale, Mfundo Xaba, Nkhaba Jantjie |
| author_facet | Xaba, Nkhaba Jantjie Mlomzale, Mfundo |
| author_sort | Mlomzale, Mfundo |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130585 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:19.123Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130585 Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town Mlomzale, Mfundo Xaba, Nkhaba Jantjie Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Police -- Gang units -- South Africa -- Cape Town Cape Flats (South Africa) UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Cape Flats, in the Western Cape province, is known as South Africa’s gang violence capital, with the highest murder rate, a significant portion of which is gang-related (Howard, 2022). Gang violence is prevalent in the Black and Coloured communities in the Cape Flats, with rival gangs fighting over drug trafficking, firearm supply, territorial battles and taxi routes. This ongoing gang violence has led to the death of many innocent lives and negatively impacted key public institutions, such as schools and health facilities in affected communities. The national government, and the Western Cape Provincial Government have adopted various interventions to combat gang violence. In 2018 an Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) was created with the aim of weakening the capacity of gangs and to disable the criminal economy that is linked to gangsterism. The AGU is comprised of police officers from various specialised units. Furthermore, the launch of the unit six months before the 2019 elections was done primarily for political reasons rather than to combat gang violence in that there were no clear guidelines, specifications, training and resources for the unit. Much of the literature on gangsterism and AGU focuses gangsterism in the United States (US) and Europe (Katz & Webb, 2006). In my Honours thesis, which focused on the communal perceptions on the deployment of the military in curtailing gang violence, community members claimed that they did not trust the police in the fight against gang violence. There is very little that has been researched and written about the AGU because it was formed quite recently, and many journalists and scholars are still grappling with its functioning. To this end, the study seeks to explore the lived experiences of police officers serving in the AGU in combating gang violence on the Cape Flats. The study adopted a qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews with the aid of an interview schedule to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of the research participants. The researcher employed a non-probability purposive sampling to identify and select four participants from one of the police stations in Cape Town. The goal-setting theory and resource dependency theories were applied to explore the lived experiences of members of the newly established AGU, and to understand the role of resources and goals in combating gang violence. Six phases of thematic analysis were used to analyse the transcribed data. The main findings of the study are that, firstly, fighting gang violence impacts on the safety and social lives of the AGU police officers. The police officers often receive death threats from gangsters, which places the lives of police officers in constant danger. Secondly, data revealed that the AGU lacks specialised training and resources in combating gang violence. Thirdly, the relationship between the AGU and Community Policing Forum (CPF) is ineffective. Based on the findings of this study, the study recommends that the police officers of the AGU must be provided with specialised training in combating gang violence and provided with resources. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING Die Kaapse Vlakte, in die Wes-Kaap provinsie, staan bekend as Suid-Afrika se bendegeweldhoofstad, met die hoogste moordsyfer, waarvan 'n beduidende deel bendeverwant is (Howard, 2022). Bendegeweld is algemeen in die Swart en Kleurling gemeenskappe in die Kaapse Vlakte, met mededingende bendes wat baklei oor dwelmhandel, vuurwapenvoorsiening, gebiedsgevegte en taxiroetes. Hierdie voortslepende bendegeweld het gelei tot die dood van baie onskuldige lewens en het 'n negatiewe impak gehad op belangrike openbare instellings, soos skole en gesondheidsfasiliteite in geaffekteerde gemeenskappe. Die nasionale regering en die Wes-Kaapse provinsiale regering het verskeie ingrypings geskep om bendegeweld te bekamp. Die mees onlangse was die ontplooiing van weermag en dit is gevolg deur die stigting van Anti-Bende Eenheid (AGU) in 2018, met die doel om die kapasiteit van bendes te verswak en om die kriminele ekonomie wat aan bendelede gekoppel is, uit te skakel. Die AGU bestaan uit polisiebeamptes van verskeie gespesialiseerde eenhede. Verder is die bekendstelling van die eenheid ses maande voor die 2019-verkiesing hoofsaaklik om politieke redes gedoen eerder as om bendegeweld te bekamp deurdat daar geen duidelike riglyne, spesifikasies, opleiding en hulpbronne vir die eenheid was nie. Baie van die literatuur van gangsterism en anti-bende-eenhede fokus op Amerikaanse bendes. In my Honneurs-tesis, wat gefokus het op die gemeenskaplike persepsies oor die ontplooiing van die weermag om bendegeweld te beperk, het gemeenskapslede beweer dat hulle nie die polisie vertrou in die stryd teen bendegeweld nie. Daar is baie min wat oor die AGU nagevors en geskryf is omdat dit redelik onlangs gestig is, en baie joernaliste en geleerdes worstel steeds met die funksionering daarvan. Vir hierdie doel poog die studie om die geleefde ervarings van die AGU-polisiebeamptes in die bekamping van bendegeweld op die Kaapse Vlakte te ondersoek. Die studie het 'n kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp aangeneem, met behulp van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met behulp van 'n onderhoudskedule om 'n dieper begrip van die ervarings van die navorsingsdeelnemers te verkry. Die navorser het 'n waarskynlikheid doelgerigte steekproef gebruik om vier deelnemers van Kraaifontein Polisiestasie AGU in die Wes-Kaap te identifiseer en te selekteer. Die doelwitstellingsteorie en hulpbronafhanklikheidsteorieë is toegepas om die geleefde ervarings van lede van die nuutgevestigde AGU te verken, en om die rol van hulpbronne en doelwitte in die bekamping van bendegeweld te verstaan. Ses fases van tematiese analise is gebruik om die: getranskribeerde data te ontleed. Die hoofbevindinge van die studie is dat, eerstens, die bestryding van bendegeweld 'n impak op die veiligheid en sosiale lewens van die AGU-polisiebeamptes het. Die polisiebeamptes ontvang dikwels doodsdreigemente van gangsterism, wat die lewe van polisiebeamptes voortdurend in gevaar stel. Tweedens het data aan die lig gebring dat die AGU nie gespesialiseerde opleiding en hulpbronne het in die bekamping van bendegeweld nie. Derdens is die verhouding tussen die AGU en Gemeenskapspolisiëringsforum (CPF) ondoeltreffend. Gebaseer op die bevindinge van hierdie studie, beveel die studie aan dat die polisiebeamptes van die AGU voorsien moet word van gespesialiseerde opleiding in die bekamping van bendegeweld en van hulpbronne voorsien moet word. Masters 2023-03-27T07:49:06Z 2024-04-26T22:58:05Z 2023-03-27T07:49:06Z 2024-04-26T22:58:05Z 2023-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130585 en Stellenbosch University x, 109 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Police -- Gang units -- South Africa -- Cape Town Cape Flats (South Africa) UCTD Mlomzale, Mfundo Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town |
| title | Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town |
| title_full | Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town |
| title_fullStr | Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town |
| title_short | Experiences of police serving in an Anti-gang Unit in Cape Town |
| title_sort | experiences of police serving in an anti gang unit in cape town |
| topic | Police -- Gang units -- South Africa -- Cape Town Cape Flats (South Africa) UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130585 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mlomzalemfundo experiencesofpoliceservinginanantigangunitincapetown |