Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia presented a new integrated anti-gang strategy to the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday, describing gang violence as “a crisis scaring our communities that demands collective action across all levels of government”.
Cachalia revealed frightening statistics from his recent week-long engagement in Cape Town communities from 8 to 12 September, where he met with residents in Khayelitsha, Mitchell’s Plain, and Langa, as well as provincial leadership and the mayor of Cape Town.
“Just from April to September this year, SAPS recorded 490 gang-related murders. Almost 120 young people under 18 were shot,” Cachalia told parliament, adding that at least five of the young people killed were under the age of 14.
“Since August, murders have increased by 18% compared to the same period last year.”
The minister emphasized that over 70% of gang murders occur in just 13 policing precincts, including Mitchell’s Plain, Bishop Lavis, Kraaifontein, Manenberg and Elsies River and contribute to around 25% of all murders reported in the Western Cape. Cachalia painted a stark picture of how gang violence affects communities: “This violence stops mothers from allowing children to play outside, forces businesses to close early, and prevents consistent school attendance.”
He warned of worrying new trends, noting that young people in increasing numbers at even earlier ages are joining organised gangs that are “increasingly linked to transnational organised crime networks”.
“Gang bosses are growing richer, they are planning crimes from behind prison walls, and beginning to infiltrate government procurement processes and infrastructure projects, like the so-called construction mafia,” he said.
Multi-agency strategy unveiled
Following his Western Cape engagements, Cachalia worked with Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi to convene a crucial meeting on 23 September with the National Prosecuting Authority, asset forfeiture unit, Special Investigation Unit, and police leadership to develop the multi-agency anti-gang plan.
“That integration is what has been missing and is a critical component of the way forward, not only to deal with gang violence but the growing problem of organized syndicated crime,” he said.
The plan was approved on 1 October with Cachalia stressing: “This plan is not just a plan on paper. Funds to implement this plan have been made available.”
As an immediate outcome of his provincial meetings, Cachalia announced the establishment of an additional police station in Mfuleni, a community experiencing “extraordinarily high levels” of violence.
He also revealed upcoming meetings with the receiver of revenue to develop “smart strategies” to tackle the “financial superstructure of organised crime that has emerged, which often has transnational dimensions”.
United government response
Cachalia emphasized that tackling gang violence requires more than policing alone: “We need a dual approach. Perpetrators must indeed face justice, but we must also open pathways for those willing to leave violence through education, skills development, mentoring, and restorative justice.”
He called for expanded youth intervention programmes, investment in education, enhanced school safety, and community-based prevention initiatives.
“Gang violence should not be used as an opportunity for narrow partisan politics,” Cachalia urged, emphasizing that all political parties have “a responsibility to support the implementation of a plan that requires integration across the criminal justice cluster”.
Cachalia warned that organised crime is becoming “a threat not only to our community’s cohesion but to our national security”, requiring new capabilities to address complex business structures with transnational dimensions.
While acknowledging that operational details cannot be shared publicly, he emphasized the importance of parliamentary oversight in ensuring accountability and monitoring implementation of the strategy.
“The road will be difficult, and progress will be uneven, but our resolve must be permanent,” Cachalia said, calling on all sectors of society to “reclaim our communities” and work toward “a future of equality, opportunity, and peace”.
The comprehensive plan represents the most significant coordinated response to gang violence in recent years, with the criminal justice cluster now aligned under unified leadership to tackle what Cachalia described as a fundamental threat to social cohesion and human dignity.
