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The Cape Flats has recorded a sharp spike in gang-related killings and shootings between 19 January and 25 January 2026, with 42 confirmed gang-related murders and 19 attempted murders reported in a one-week snapshot, a tally that has left neighbourhoods on edge, reports Cape {town} Etc.

Residents and local leaders described chaotic scenes across multiple suburbs:

  • On Monday morning, with two people shot in Daisy Street near Heinz Park Primary School
  • A body found at the Mitchells Plain taxi rank
  • Shooting incidents in Fisantekraal and Delft, according to consolidated incident reports (Ian Cameron / X).

Parliamentary police portfolio chair Ian Cameron said the figures expose a systemic failure and urged decisive action where Cape Flats gang violence is concerned, saying: Communities are often paying for this failure with their lives.

Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia acknowledged that police resources and strategy are not yet sufficient to defeat organised gangs in the Western and Eastern Cape, adding: ‘I do not believe that we are currently in a position to defeat these gangs.’

Longer term data underline the scale of the problem: police figures show the Cape Flats reported 2104 murders in the first nine months of 2025, pointing to a sustained rise that demands intelligence-led, prosecution-driven responses and closer cooperation between SAPS, metro and provincial authorities (GroundUp).

Communities are calling for tangible change on the ground and faster action to cut gun supply, dismantle extortion networks and hold leadership to account.

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Picture: Ian Cameron / X

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