The city of Cape Town is facing questions regarding the funding and effectiveness of its Ceasefire Project after the community-based gang intervention initiative claimed it helped over 400 at-risk youth and reduced violence by 43% in its operational areas.
These figures were provided by Pastor Craven Engel, head of the Ceasefire Lite project, as Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews was unable to present information on the program's success during mayoral debates in Cape Town last week.
The project, which was initially funded by the city for eight years, lost municipal financial support in 2018 but continues to operate as Ceasefire Lite, providing intervention services for youth without city funding.
The debates brought together representatives from 11 political parties to discuss Cape Town's most pressing issues, including the housing crisis, unemployment, gangsterism, homelessness, and access to basic municipal services.
The event took place with public and media attendance at a city-wide election meeting of the National Media Group at The Capetonian hotel in the central business district. Other hot topics included the R114 million City project, also known as the 'N2 wall' project, and questions about the whereabouts of the National Colored Congress (NCC) when confronting gang leaders and drug dens.
During a panel discussion on gangs and crime intervention, Andrews stated that the City offered various programs, including the Ceasefire Project, which contributed to the rehabilitation of gangsters and their peers.
He noted: 'We had the Ceasefire project where we rehabilitated gangsters, rehabilitating their peers in the community, and we continue our partnership with the Chrysalis Academy.'
Chelslyn Daniels, the Patriot Alliance mayoral candidate, asked Andrews if the City could provide data confirming the program's success.
Andrews replied negatively, adding that Engel headed the program and would have to independently look into these figures. The project, based in Hanover Park, was discontinued in 2018 after five years of operation with a budget of R5 million. Its goal was to influence at-risk individuals to reduce gang violence. The city withdrew support, citing budgetary constraints. Subsequently, new security measures called ShotSpotter were implemented in communities such as Manenberg and Hanover Park.
In June, the City announced that ShotSpotter, another multi-million rand project, had concluded and was under review.
The newspaper Weekend Argus further questioned Andrews about the funding and success of Ceasefire. According to City data, a parliamentary question and answer published in 2018 showed that the Ceasefire team conducted 747 conflict mediations during 2016/17. It was also indicated that 2,730 at-risk individuals received assistance for potential exit from gangs. During 2016/17, approximately 1,090 at-risk individuals were enrolled in various support programs.
Engel told Weekend Argus that despite the withdrawal of funding, Ceasefire continued to operate under the new name Ceasefire Lite. He emphasized that this community-managed project has become a model for universities, criminology experts, and vulnerable children.
He stated: 'The Ceasefire project is still active, but not with the City; it manages itself since the city withdrew support in 2018. The program was very successful.'
Engel continued: 'The program ran from 2013 to 2018, and then the City withdrew its support, and we had to continue it. We cannot launch a community-based gang intervention program for at-risk groups and then withdraw it, or you lose your credibility.'
'According to our data, the program helped over 400 at-risk young people, whom we call violence carriers, meaning those who will shoot weapons, interacting with all major gangs through mediation. We registered conflict resolutions between communities, gangs, and stakeholders,' said Engel. 'Data from the period 2013 to 2018 showed that the program reduced violence by 43%, and this can be attributed to the program.'
Engel also mentioned that even though the ShotSpotter project no longer exists, they relied on their own ground observations to detect shootings. He explained that the project itself could determine when and where shooting was likely to occur.
'We also participated in the implementation of ShotSpotter; we helped install it; we were part of the response team for gunshot detection,' he reported. 'We could predict where violence was likely to happen, and we could send a safety alert to 3,000 community members about the violence and where and why it was happening.'
In response to Andrews' comments, JJ Idel, CEO of Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA), stated that the City should be able to demonstrate the program's success. He stressed: 'Rehabilitation and youth development are important, but programs must be measured by their results. How many young people were reached? How many left gang activity, found work, or returned to school?'
Dr. Levellin McMaster, chairperson of Cape Crime Crisis Coalition (C4), stated that the Ceasefire project existed because it was driven by the community. 'The work was done by trusted community members and violence interruptors, not microphones. Technology was a tool, not a solution,' he noted. He added that C4 demands a fundamental change in the City's approach to safety, including a public audit and the publication of comprehensive data, including information on communities affected by gun violence.
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