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Between 1 January and 17 January this year, a staggering 195 homicides have already been recorded in the province – an average of 11 people murdered every single day. Behind these numbers are families torn apart, communities traumatised, and residents living in constant fear.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape condemns this outbreak of violence, where these figures will be commonplace unless serious improvements are made to the national policing model and how it is implemented in the Western Cape. Over a single 24-hour period this week, 6 people were killed in various shootings in Cape Town. This is another stark reminder that organised criminal networks armed with a flood of illegal firearms continue to terrorise our communities with impunity.

Despite the escalating violence, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has failed to rise to the occasion. It has now been four months since the Acting Minister of Police Prof. Cachalia requested a comprehensive strategy to deal with violent crime, illegal firearms and gangsterism. To date, SAPS has still not produced an updated resourcing plan, operational plan, or any clear physical deployment strategy to support the Western Cape.

This continued inaction is unacceptable.

DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety, Benedicta van Minnen, MPP said: “The Western Cape cannot fight this battle alone. The failure of SAPS, a national competency, to adequately resource and prioritise gang-affected areas directly undermines community safety.

While the DA-led Western Cape Government continues to invest in Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers, violence prevention programmes, and intelligence-driven policing support, these efforts are being severely hamstrung by SAPS’ lack of leadership and urgency.”

The DA calls on SAPS to implement the following measures immediately:

• Finalise and implement a clear, time-bound strategy to combat gang violence and illegal firearms,
• Provide a detailed resourcing and deployment plan for the Western Cape,
• Intensify intelligence-led operations targeting gang leaders and gun supply chains, and
• Work collaboratively and empower competent provincial and local law enforcement agencies to do more in the fight against crime.

Communities deserve credible policing, decisive action, and a police service that treats violent crime with the seriousness it demands. The DA in the Western Cape will continue to hold SAPS accountable for keeping our communities safe and ensuring criminals are taken off our streets.

Issued by Benedicta van Minnen, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety