CRIME SCENE: Cape Flats: Since the army’s boots hit the Cape Flats ground just over a month ago, Operation Prosper has had some measure of success, but it hasn’t stopped innocent deaths in gang ridden areas.

The bullets kept on flying. Blood kept flowing. There seems no end in sight.

Operation Prosper, a joint deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), South African Police Services (SAPS) and the City of Cape Town’s Metro Police, Traffic Police, and Law Enforcement to combat gang violence, extortion and crime in the Western Cape, rolled into Mitchells Plain on 1 April 2026.

The deployment is planned for a year and includes high-density patrols, roadblocks, stop-and-search operations, vehicle control points (VCP), inspections of liquor-licensed premises, and checks for undocumented persons.

From 1 to 28 April 2026 a total of 23 firearms, one hand grenade and 146 rounds of ammunition were confiscated. The forces also confiscated drugs worth over R4 million and liquor worth R262 426, while making 191 drug related arrests and 31 illegally dealing in alcohol.

But the operation went a bit further than just combatting gang violence, as 29 illegal migrants were arrested and Abalone and Rock Lobster worth over R 45 000 were confiscated.

●The information contained in this report was supplied by Captain Walter Kassaka, the operational communication officer at the Joint Tactical Headquarters, Western Cape.