Western Cape gang violence exposed on world stage

The Western Cape is believed to be home to between 90 and 130 gangs with over 100,000 members. Bloodshed occurs daily, and this grim reality was thrust into the spotlight during the recent engagement between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The discussion has captured the attention of political parties and activists, who are now holding Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen and President Ramaphosa accountable for the escalating violence in the province.

According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime’s Western Cape Gang Monitor, the province is home to several splinter prison gangs, including the 28s street gang, the Americans, Hard Livings, Ghetto Kids, and JFKs. These gangs mimic the initiation rites of the old-order prison number gangs, using them to confer upon their members a sense of collegiate identity.

“The crime is terrible, Sir, but Mr. Steenhuisen won’t admit it. He runs the Western Cape, where I live, and the highest murder rate is in the Cape Flats,” said billionaire Johan Rupert during the Trump-Ramaphosa media engagement on Wednesday.

His comments have resonated with many, including Brett Herron, the Secretary-General of GOOD Party who is a Member of the Western Cape Parliament, and an anti-crime group known as Fight Against Crime.

In a statement shared with the media, Herron called out Steenhuisen, stating that the people of the province deserved to feel safe and that the latest crime statistics were expected to be delivered soon.

“Rupert’s comments, whether calculated or candid, create the perfect backdrop for tomorrow’s crime stats. They cut through the spin, the PR gloss, and the talking points. Because what he said, ‘the crime is terrible,’ isn’t partisan. It’s painfully real,” said Herron.

“If Steenhuisen and the DA want to lead, they must start by owning the reality on the ground. The people of the Cape Flats deserve more than excuses. They deserve safety, justice, and a future free from violence.”

Willie Aucamp, the national spokes-person for the DA, said in response to the call for action: “They (Good Party) are fully aware that the police isa national component not a provincial one,” said Aucamp.

“We as the DA, Western Cape government do not have that power, those powers lie with the SAPS. “We are fully aware of the crime in Western Cape.

"That was one of the reasons why we have asked for the devolving of policing powers. You cannot handle the crime in Cape Town, same as you would in Polokwane.

“We hope that putting the spotlight on this will further place the spotlight on the devolving of policing powers in the Western Cape to the City of Cape Town.

“A large amount of money has been invested for Metro Police to be on the ground, more so than anywhere else in the metro in the country, they do not have investigative powers.”

Fight Against Crime, which has become a watchdog on gang violence in Cape Town, has also called out Steenhuisen and Ramaphosa for hiding the harsh reality of bloodshed on the streets.

“Let us be absolutely clear, anyone who claims that crime is under control in the Western Cape is either ignorant, dishonest, or complicit,” it said.

“Anyone who denies the need for the army to be deployed is turning a blind eye to the cries of communities under siege. Anyone who downplays the ongoing gang wars, a daily bloodbath in our streets, is no friend of progress, no ally to the people who experience this nightmare firsthand.”

Rupert’s remarks have sparked a renewed call for action, with many praising him for having the courage to speak up for communities that feel abandoned. “It wasn’t the President. It wasn’t John Steenhuisen.

It was Johann Rupert who brought the plight of the Cape Flats to the world stage. At least someone had the courage to speak up for our communities, and for that, without fear, we thank you, Johann Rupert,” stated a representative from Fight Against Crime.

The Western Cape has been left exposed for what it truly is: a province infested with violent crime, where residents live in fear, and justice is a luxury. This isn’t just a local crisis; the world is watching.

This sentiment was echoed by the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition, which has called on the president to form an immediate National Commission of Inquiry into gangs in the Cape.

“For decades, South Africa’s most vulnerable and marginalised communities have been held hostage by gang violence—a crisis fuelled by systemic neglect, political failure, and economic apartheid,” they asserted.

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Today, the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition (C4), a broad-based social movement representing citizens, activists, civil society, and grassroots leaders, issues an unequivocal demand: President Cyril Ramaphosa must immediately establish an independent National Commission of Inquiry into gang violence, with a primary focus on all communities across the country beset by gang violence. “This is not a request. It is a moral and strategic imperative. A national emergency.”

According to them, the Western Cape continues to record the highest number of gang-related murders, with 263 counts reported in this quarter alone.

Cape Argus