Pacifiers to pistols | Growing number of children drawn into gang Violence in Western Cape
Young boys in the Western Cape are increasingly being used as gang recruits, often tasked with carrying weapons or acting as lookouts, a trend driving a deadly surge in youth violence.
Image: File
Children as young as 12 are being sucked into the deadly vortex of gang violence in the Western Cape, used as decoys, gunmen, and drug couriers in a growing trend that experts warn is fuelling the province’s child murder crisis.
According to the latest Western Cape Gang Monitor by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), more than one child was murdered every day in the Western Cape over a three-month period in 2024.
The spike is linked directly to gang violence, where children are either caught in crossfire or recruited into the gangs themselves.
“This sobering statistic is indicative of a wider trend: more children than ever before are being recruited into gangs in the Western Cape,” the report states.
Children are seen as ideal recruits by gang leaders, less likely to be suspected by police, and more willing to prove themselves.
Craven Engel, a pastor and founder of gang-prevention organisation Ceasefire, told the report that gangs are weaponising innocence; “a 12-year-old boy he had assisted, who had been recruited as a gunman for the Only the Family gang, was ‘brainwashed to kill people.’”
Community frustration is boiling over. Thandiso Xokoza, a community policing forum member from Philippi, said the problem is being compounded by political bias within the CPF.
“In my area a lot of young boys from 14 upwards are being recruited for smash and grab and extortion. The CPF does not help. In fact, its role is more political. SAPS are trying but not doing much, while Law Enforcement is more on the ground doing their best,” he said.
Xokoza called for urgent reform.
“SAPS need to look at how they recruit CPF because so far, they are doing it completely wrong. For example, all the members of CPF belong to one political party and their agenda is the interest of their political party.”
The report highlights a toxic combination of factors: poverty, generational trauma, and community breakdowns. During the COVID-19 lockdown, many children were left with “a surplus of free time and the need to earn an income, even if by criminal means.”
Community workers say that “these kids are totally desensitized to violence. When they play games in the street, they have to play around a dead body.” The problem is compounded by gang fragmentation.
Newly formed junior gangs, such as the Gotsavallas in Ottery, have emerged with younger and more reckless members.
“The group is made up exclusively of juvenile members, none of whom is older than 18,” The report states.
Juvenile detention is no deterrent. Instead, it is described as a graduation into the gang, where “young offenders may enter as a runner, but on leaving, may join the ranks outside as a fully-fledged member.”
One official admitted When he comes out, he is more of a gangster.
The presence of prison-style gang structures, similar to the notorious Numbers gangs, is also confirmed inside youth facilities.
“Rather than being places of safety and rehabilitation, these are therefore spaces where gang identities are formed,” the report warns.
As the generational cycle deepens, the report stands with a clear warning: “Children are being recruited into gangs more frequently and are being exposed to the most violent and extreme elements of their activities. This is not only potentially fatal but also perpetuates the generational trauma.”
The solution, according to the GI-TOC, lies in long-term community-based interventions that address trauma, not just symptoms. But until then, the streets of the Western Cape remain a recruiting ground, and a battlefield, for South Africa’s youngest soldiers.
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