Africa-Press – South-Africa. Community activists have warned that crime is destroying the bustling nightlife of Durban’s Florida Road in Morningside, where popular SA rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his close friend, chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, were gunned down on Friday.
Visiting the area on Monday, News24 witnessed sex workers lining the roads near Florida Road, including Percy Osborn and smaller streets in the Windermere area, near where AKA was killed.
Even before 11:00, sex workers were hard at work.
Metres away, groups of men could be seen selling what is believed to be drugs.
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Gary Manthe, chair of the community policing forum (CPF) in Lower Morningside, said crime had become a serious problem in recent years.
He said a few months ago, the brother of a known drug dealer was killed in the same area.
He said:
Manthe said the Lower Morningside CPF covered the area just below Windermere Road, a few kilometres from where the rapper was shot dead on Friday night.
“There has been an increase in prostitution in the area and it is very brazen. Prostitutes simply hop from one side of the road to the other when they see the police van approach because they know it is a different policing sector.”
While the community and the CPF were involved in many crime prevention campaigns such as walkabouts, Manthe said Durban’s metro police had to do more to enforce by-laws.
While he didn’t solely blame the metro police for the high levels of crime in recent years, he did say they had to do more to tackle the problem.
“Metro [police] are starting to help, but it might be almost too late. You have to get a lot of people involved to get rid of the problems.”
Ward councillor Ernest Smith said safety on Florida Road was becoming a concern for residents in the surrounding communities.
“There have been a few incidents over the last year which are concerning, which I feel could have been avoided with the right implementation of security cameras, foot patrols and necessary police presence.”
Since he became ward councillor, Smith said there was an increase in a variety of issues such as muggings, car theft, shootings “and now the murder of a guest in the area”.
“It is something the SAPS and metro police are aware of, however, I think a more proactive approach needs to be taken to ensure the safety of residents and visitors to the area.”
A community activist in Morningside, who spoke to News24 anonymously, said law enforcement simply wasn’t good enough, adding:
Private security was not enough, and often prioritised the welfare of patrons who paid for their services, the activist added.
“You cannot expect private security to pick up on all crime. We need metro police, beyond the three or four who walk around Florida Road handing out tickets to cars. Where is the crime prevention?”
The source added that the local community was often helpful.
“People report crime, and they are happy to give authorities information, but when nothing is done, we start to have a massive problem.”
What is Durban doing about crime?
In the wake of AKA’s murder, the DA deputy caucus leader in eThekwini Municipality, Billy Mzamo, has written to city manager, Musa Mbhele, demanding a copy of the city’s most recent crime prevention strategy.
“We want to analyse its performance and the involvement of the Durban metro police in crime prevention and visible policing in city hotspots.”
Over the weekend, eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda condemned AKA’s murder and called on police “to speed up the investigation and bring those responsible to book”.
“The news of AKA’s passing comes as a shock to us as we were looking forward to seeing him perform at the Durban All White Concert at the Durban ICC next week Saturday. We call upon members of the community who might have witnessed the incident to share information with the police,” the mayor said.
He added that the rapper’s murder would have an impact on Florida Road and its bustling nightlife.
“The freedom of our residents is threatened each time a person is killed or robbed. We implore the police to be firm and to act decisively in rooting out rogue elements that are behind the killing of innocent people. We remain committed to intensifying the fight against crime.”
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