Soil of Africa civic movements chairperson Bongani Ramontja photo by Dimakatso Modipa
By Bongani King Ramontja
Chairperson, Soil of Africa
The soil of Africa is deeply disturbed by the ongoing killings in our townships.
Places like Mamelodi, Soshanguve, and as far as Khayelitsha in Cape Town are plagued by relentless gun violence.
Almost every township is affected by a high rate of shootings and killings.
This highlights the lack of effective police presence and reinforcement in these areas.
We’re left wondering: how do dangerous weapons—guns, rifles, and other arms—enter our communities? Where are they coming from, and who is supplying them? This is a deeply worrying issue for all of us who stand in solidarity as the Soil of Africa.
We are concerned because at any moment, any one of us could become a victim.
The recent killing of Ward 10 councillor, Thabang Masemola, in Mamelodi East is heartbreaking.
It’s not something to be overlooked—it should raise serious alarm.
Black lives are being lost daily, often at the hands of other black individuals.
This is a crisis that demands urgent action. We must begin reinforcing safety in our townships.
We need more police vehicles, greater visibility of officers, and patrollers on every street and corner.
Additionally, we must invest in technology—such as installing surveillance cameras at the entrances to all townships and in known crime hotspots.
These are the areas that must be prioritized to ensure accountability and safety.
This crisis shows that none of us are safe.
Tomorrow, it could be me, you, or someone else’s child.
These senseless killings are unacceptable.
As South Africans, we must take a stand. We claim to fight for black unity and racial equality, but how can we talk about unity when we are killing each other? Where is Ubuntu? Where is transformation? Where is the liberation that has been spoken about for the past 31 years? Our mental state reflects a disturbing lack of love and humanity among us as black people.
This is why it becomes so easy for someone to pick up a rifle and end another person’s life.
We also support the idea that perpetrators of violent crimes—murderers, rapists—should be incarcerated in isolated facilities, far from the rest of society.
Such individuals have abandoned their humanity, and no normal person should be able to commit such acts.
We must come up with better solutions to combat crime.
These shootings didn’t start today. For years, we have lost loved ones.
Black-on-black violence must be eradicated at all costs, or we risk descending into full-blown anarchy.
Communities will begin retaliating, and that will only lead to more bloodshed.
If the police can’t protect us, perhaps we need to rethink their role.
We currently have four key community security structures: the police, Community Policing Forums (CPF), patrollers, and wardens. Yet none of these are functioning effectively due to lack of equipment, training, and proper recognition. Why can’t we create a network that links police stations with wardens, CPF members, and community patrollers—street by street? If we train, equip, and empower them properly, we can reduce crime and reclaim our safety.
As General Mkhwanazi stated, we are living in a lawless country.
This must come to an end. We call on the Minister of Police to reinforce safety structures and on the President to intervene.
Mamelodi has become one of the deadliest townships. In just the past few months, we’ve lost too many young men to violence.
This cannot continue. Enough is enough.
*Issued by Bongani King Ramontja*
*Chairperson, Soil of Africa*
*0762233981*