Ward councillors and community leaders cannot bear the full responsibility of addressing society’s ills. Sub-council 12 chairperson, Councillor Solomon Philander, was speaking on a Radio 786 panel discussion focusing on the concerns of the Mitchells Plain community. Philander has called out community organisations for not trying to find common ways of addressing these issues. Mitchells Plain is a prime example of the negative impact of Apartheid-era spatial planning. Crime pervades almost every aspect of life for these residents, while they struggle to overcome the economic obstacles gripping Mitchells Plain. Philander has called on residents to use sub-council effectively to lift Mitchells Plain out of its crisis. But the Cape Flats Safety Forum’s Abie Isaacs says that a culture of disregarding community organisations exists in Mitchells Plain.