February, 2025
'Let's work together against crime'
Outrage at gun violence
WESTERN Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, has called for an integrated approach against gun violence in and around Cape Town.
This follows a call by the non-profit organization, Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA), to the South African government to implement a multi-sector strategy to stop the carnage of innocent people.
Marais said in a statement she was outraged at the high levels of gun-related crime in Cape Town.
Several people died in a number of recent shootings across the city in recent weeks.
The Minister stated: “The proliferation of guns and ammunition is a major contributor to gang-related killings in Cape Town.
“The South African Police Service (SAPS) must work closer with municipal law enforcement agencies, including Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers, to prioritise getting illegal guns off our streets and ensure perpetrators of gun-related crimes are successfully prosecuted.”
She said community-based organisations, such as neighbourhood watches, also play a critical role in addressing crime and called for closer collaboration “in addressing this scourge”.
'Government must take new approach'
Calls for shutdown against crime
THE non-profit organization, Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA), has called on the South African government to implement a multi-sector strategy to stop the carnage of innocent people.
FACSA said in a statement: “The Cape Flats, townships and every other community affected by gang violence are under siege. We refuse to continue to watch as innocent lives are lost while government turns a blind eye.”
The FACSA executive committee’s statement noted that while President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, 7 February 2025, gang wars occurred a mere 20 kilometres away.
“Mass shootings, targeted executions and indiscriminate violence continue unchecked. How can government claim progress while children are being shot and entire families wiped out in their homes?”
FACSA referred to several confirmed shootings, including in Lotus River, Rylands, Westridge, Manenberg, Ravensmead and Atlantis.
“The time for appeals and empty promises is over. FACSA is leading the call for a mass shutdown across the Cape Flats, townships and all areas affected by gang violence until the government takes real and immediate action.
“We are engaging with key stakeholders, community leaders and organizations to plan and execute a shutdown that forces government intervention. We reject any intervention that does not include direct input from affected communities.
“We demand a real, long-term strategy to address not only gang shootings but also the root causes of gangsterism, which is nothing short of domestic terrorism.”
FACSA demands the immediate deployment of the SA National Defence Force and a declaration of a State of Emergency.
“Finally, we demand the implementation of a multi-sector strategy. Law enforcement alone is not enough. Government must commit to a holistic approach involving social development, education, housing and economic empowerment to dismantle the conditions that fuel gang activity.
“Shut down to silence guns!” said FACSA.