DEMANDS for retired Anti Gang Unit (AGU) boss Andre Lincoln have intensified with a petition gaining close to 6 000 signatures.
The call made by communities on the Cape Flats comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa was grilled in Parliament earlier this week on the AGU’s role in fighting gangsterism since its inception in 2018.
The Western Cape has seen a spike in gang-related incidents and violence with 83 murders were reported in a space of a week last month.
Among those killed was Constable Sithembiso Mnatwana, 39, who was gunned down just metres away from the Samora Machel police station while returning home from a 12-hour shift at Cape Town Central.
Incidents like these have caused residents to mobilise under the leadership of community group Western Cape Gang Watch.
In June, the group wrote to Ramaphosa calling for Lincoln to come out of retirement.
The letter, which the Weekend Argus has seen, had received an email of acknowledgement by the presidency in August.
In the letter the community-based group expressed their concerns about the spike of crime and the uncontrollable gang activities.
“We are representing the impoverished community of the Cape Flats and are crying out to you on behalf of them, ourselves and the rest of the Cape Town community.
“Our children have become so accustomed to this kind of violence. On a weekly basis an innocent child or member of the public finds themselves in the middle of a deadly crossfire, this is so detrimental towards our youth and community.
“Approximately three years ago, we were so grateful for your intervention with the inauguration and the establishment of the AGU attached to SAPS.
“We, the people of the Cape Flats were very grateful for the implementation of the unit as this was the need in Cape Town; in the first three years of their inception, this unit really made an immeasurable impact on the Cape Flats under the command of the outstanding and righteous leadership of Maj-Gen Andre Lincoln.
“At the time, this unit really flourished and restored hope in the community. Maj-Gen Andre Lincoln is fondly known as "The People's General" when there is trouble on the Cape Flats, the General would personally be at the helm of any operation alongside his members.
“We the Western Cape and especially the Cape flats hereby demand that he be reinstated in his post as the Commander of the AGU.
“The gang violence on the Cape Flats has intensified so badly and almost weekly we see innocent people fall victim to these careless acts by gangsters.
“We have had no public engagement or participation by Senior Saps management or senior management of the AGU. Maj-Gen Lincoln hails from (the) Cape flats and has managed several of the gang stations.
“While managing the AGU, the General had engaged the public and was very often seen in the areas, on the road with the members.”
Lincoln officially retired from his post as AGU boss at age 60 in 2021, and also underwent a double amputation.
Colonel Karl Wienand, was made acting commander and replaced him.
Lincoln said he was aware of the petition, but was not in a position to give a comment.
“So I am just watching it to see whatever outcome it produces. If it does not yield anything then so be it, but if they do reinstate me, I will think about it and most importantly discuss it with my family.”
Lincoln told the Weekend Argus that while he enjoyed retirement, he cannot turn a blind eye to what's happening on the Cape Flats.
“It hurts me to know that people cannot move around freely. I mean, there was a time when the AGU roamed the streets and people felt safe.
“The way things are going now is not what we envisioned when we started up this unit.
“Everyone knew that they could count on the AGU for any crime, be it gang violence or domestic violence, they knew we would be there, and there was always visibility.”
Lincoln said what concerned him the most while monitoring community sites daily, was that people complained about no visibility.
“How does one go from that point of daily visibility to the point of no visibility?
“People on the Cape Flats need to be helped, this can't go on like this. One thing I can say is, if I come back, dan moet hulle skrik (they must be aware), because my blood has and will always be blue.”
Crime expert, Albert van Zyl, said he understood why the people of the Cape Flats called for the former top cop’s reinstatement.
“What we have learnt from the Zondo Commission recommendations, is the importance of appointing people who are capable of doing their jobs.
“We even see it with Eskom. So with the crime, especially organised crime with gangsters, we have seen an alarming increase in the Western Cape and it has become a concern.
“Lincoln has the experience in that field, so bringing him back is an option, even after retirement age, he can teach others about that experience.”
Van Zyl said, having capable people in certain positions was not only a crime in SA but also in the UK, where they saw young people not keen on taking up positions in the police force.
“This is not a sought after job anymore. So the prediction is within in a few years there won’t be so many experienced cops in the force.”
According to The Global Organised Crime Index, published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, South Africa is ranked 19th out of 198 countries, on the scale of measuring organised crime.
Van Zyl said this was mainly because the country cannot control gangsters, the drug trade, kidnapping and human trafficking.
“There is a problem with discipline within the police, that is why we need good leadership within the police, so that our country can find stability.
“If I am not mistaken, six out of our 10 police commissioners were excused from their posts, so obviously society is not happy, crime is growing and they are concerned, at one point in time we will reach a situation where its uncontrollable but just like Eskom there are still very good people who can make a change.”
Ramaphosa told MPs this week that gangsterism, kidnapping and extortion were undertaken by criminal enterprises that both threaten national security and erode the social fabric of communities.
“The SAPS has established several initiatives to address gangsterism and the crimes associated with it.
“Since the AGU was established in the Western Cape in November 2018, it has made 819 arrests for the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, 442 arrests for murder, 253 arrests for attempted murder and 1 387 arrests for drug-related crimes.
“It has also confiscated large quantities of firearms, ammunition and drugs.
“These figures demonstrate both the scale of the problem and the achievements of the AGU.”