‘No proper plan in Cape Town to deal with gang violence,’ says Firoz Cachalia

On Tuesday, 9 September, the acting minister of police, Firoz Cachalia, said the intelligence-driven capabilities needed to combat gang violence and organised crime in Cape Town were still not fully in place.

Cachalia, joined by Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel, Deputy Police Minister Polly Boshielo and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, was speaking after meeting with stakeholders in Mitchells Plain and Mfuleni, two Cape Town areas that suffer from high levels of gang-related crime.

The engagements formed part of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster’s drive to roll out practical, community-led interventions against gang violence, strengthen interdepartmental cooperation and build lasting partnerships with affected communities.

Residents in Mitchells Plain and Mfuleni shared their fears and trauma from living under relentless gang violence, with rival groups showing no sign of retreat. Community members highlighted rising murder rates, gender-based violence, the spread of illegal firearms, housebreakings and allegations of police corruption as their most pressing concerns.

In Mfuleni, 64-year-old grandmother Chairmaine Hartnick pleaded: “Minister, I’m tired of coming to graveyards and watching our young children being buried. Please do something to save our children.”

Cachalia also listened to accounts of a pensioner robbed at gunpoint in her home, as well as frustrations stemming from under-resourced police stations and poor police visibility.

Crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year — from 1 January to 31 March 2025 — highlight the prevalence of illegal guns in these mass shootings.

Read more: Western Cape’s ‘killing fields’ highlight devastating impact of illegal guns

Under siege

Speaking to stakeholders at the Mfuleni Police Station, Cachalia said the proliferation of gangs and the surge in contact crimes had entrenched gang violence across the Western Cape.

“The country is under siege by criminals and gangs. They are the ones who are selling drugs, making a fortune. We are dealing with people who are running big businesses, maybe it includes top officials — that makes it even worse.

“We have to deal with the problems of drugs and I want to see the druglords and these organised criminals smashed, they have raids and we have to attack them,” he added.

The problem, Cachalia said, “is that there is no proper plan in Cape Town to deal with gang violence in the province. I spoke with the national police commissioner about what needs to be done. When I arrived in Cape Town, I also met with Provincial Commissioner Thembisile Patekile and the head of Crime Intelligence.

“The truth is that the capabilities required for intelligence-driven operations to defeat the scourge of gang violence and organised crime are still not fully in place.”

He said that while gang violence had long been entrenched in communities, it had now escalated into a form of organised transnational crime.

“These gangs are receiving drugs across our borders, and the trade has become their main source of wealth. They are well-resourced, organised like businesses, well-financed and heavily armed — we are certainly experiencing a flood of weapons.”

Cachalia said high levels of unemployment and poverty created fertile ground for gangs to recruit and pay young people who should be in school.

“What we need is enhanced policing. We have a plan to achieve this, but over time, the focus must be on intelligence-driven policing,” he said.

Read more: ‘I’m impatient with bureaucratic rhetoric’ – Cachalia tells global cops he’s tired of lip service

Prison links

Deputy Justice Minister Nel stressed that the fight against crime cannot be waged in isolation. “We cannot do it as police, justice and correctional services separately,” he said.

He pointed out that coordination was crucial to tackle organised crime and gang violence, especially given the close links between gangs in communities and those inside prisons.

“It also affects us in the justice system, because when gang members appear in court, they often use the opportunity to smuggle messages. And many of those messages include instructions for assassinations,” said Nel.

Another issue that was aired was the recent attacks in and around courts in the Western Cape.

In the most recent incident, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot outside the Athlone Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 5 September.

Last month, two men were shot and killed outside the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court. On 8 April, a man was shot inside the Wynberg Regional Court.

Read more: Justice delivered, yet fear persists for those who testify against organised crime

These shootings were also discussed at the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development on Friday, 5 September.

Chairperson Xola Nqola said, “These incidents seem to be on the increase, especially in the Western Cape. The authorities need to relook at the security measures currently used to secure our court precincts. We need to ensure the safety of officials, presiding officers and the public at large.”

Addressing the media on Tuesday, Nel stressed that constitutional democracy was dependent on having an independent judiciary and a legal system in which court staff and the public felt safe.

“We are already enhancing security at courts following the Wynberg incident. Metal detectors at several courts have been upgraded. On Monday, during our visit to the Athlone Magistrates’ Court with the Judge President of the Western Cape, we received reports that someone was attempting to smuggle a firearm into Wynberg court. The weapon was successfully detected, and the individual was arrested,” said Nel.

Cachalia has promised that there will be a report back and that drastic measures will be taken to tackle gang violence and the proliferation of firearms. DM