Cape Town - Gun Free SA has denied claims that their proposal to build a bulletproof park in Mitchells Plain was in partnership with the DA, amid videos trashing the proposal that surfaced this week.
Just days after the NGO announced their proposal to build the world’s first bulletproof park in Beacon Valley to keep children safe during raging gang wars, false allegations were made by anonymous social media users, claiming it was a project by the DA.
Crafted by specialists, the envisioned park is set to be entirely enveloped in bulletproof glass, delivering the delights of a typical playground with slides and monkey bars while ensuring the safety of children against stray bullets.
The park integrates cutting-edge security features such as secure entrances and panic buttons, providing parents and guardians, with the added assurance that comprehensive measures have been implemented to shield the play space from the nation's firearm crisis.
The organisation has been working with the Cape Flats Safety Forum to develop the concept.
Forum chairperson, Abie Isaacs, said while the project was still in a conceptual phase, individuals embarking on “reckless campaigning” ahead of the elections had created discontent.
“The videos are going around and we don't know who is behind it but the point is that at no point did we sit with any political party.
“This is a working concept and yes, there are many aspects that need to be refined, but it is disheartening that some individuals have embarked on reckless campaigning ahead of the elections and now falsely branded a community project as a political one.
“We ask our communities in the Cape Flats to use their common sense during election season and not believe everything that is shared on social media or to address those directly involved if they want a better understanding of something.”
Gun Free SA director, Adele Kirsten, said: “This idea is completely independent of any political party affiliation. Gun Free SA as an organisation remains politically independent. We are seeking any solutions to free SA from increasing gun violence. We agree that this is an outrageous solution. It would be good to ask government officials what their solutions to this situation are.”
DA provincial leader, Tertuis Simmers, confirmed the videos were fake news.
“This is fake news and is not part of any DA project. The DA-run Western Cape Government is investing R5 billion to boost existing safety interventions so we can keep building a future where all communities in the province (are safe).
“We also pledge, as per our election manifesto, that the DA will fight crime in the Western Cape with 1300 law enforcement officers, Rural Safety Units and K9 units.
“LEAP officers have been deployed to 13 priority areas, and new technologies such as gunshot detection and ‘Eye-in-the-sky’ have been introduced to bolster the effectiveness of operations.”
Cape Argus