Cape Flats: Calls for commission of inquiry as gang violence escalates

Amid a wave of shootings across the Cape Flats, community leaders are calling for a Commission of Inquiry into gun violence and gang activity.

At least 11 separate shooting incidents occurred over the past weekend. Areas affected include Lavender Hill, Hanover Park, Bishop Lavis, Delft, Bonteheuwel, Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Valhalla Park, Heideveld, and Lotus River.

Cape Flats weekend shooting incidents:
*16/05-FRIDAY
Early afternoon- Lavender Hill,
female in her late 50s was shot in the neck and shoulder at 23 Ashley Court in broad daylight.
Hanover Park
Evening – 3 people shot and critically wounded.
*17/05-SATURDAY
Morning -…
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 18, 2025

One of the incidents at the weekend, include the murder of a wheelchair-bound man in Mitchells Plain on Saturday. Western Cape police spokesperson, Frederick Van Wyk, said the 46-year-old was shot multiple times in the head and body. The incident happened on the corner of Stag and Klipspringer Roads, in Eastridge.

“The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The motive is believed to be gang related. A murder case was registered for investigation. The unknown suspect/s fled the scene and are yet to be arrested,” confirmed Van Wyk.

The chairperson of Cape Flats Safety Forum, Abie Isaacs, has renewed demands for urgent intervention, including military deployment. Isaacs believes that deploying members of the South African National Defence Force, like with Operation Prosper in 2019, may assist with restoring calm in gang-ridden areas.

Another intervention Isaac noted is a Commission of Inquiry, which he thinks will help get to the root of ongoing gun and gang violence.

“We are once again lobbying for the deployment of the South African Defence Force… to stabilise all affected areas… We further call for the establishment of a special probe into gun violence,” said Isaacs.

Isaacs was also critical of the ongoing Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), arguing that little progress has been made since its implementation in 2019.

“There has been no drastic turnaround in terms of dealing with the situation, or dealing with gun violence specifically, and urban terror gang violence in and around the Cape Flats.”

Meanwhile, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, of the Western Cape SAPS, confirmed that gang feuds remain at the centre of violent crime in several precincts.

“Feuds between rival groups on the gang front in Mitchell’s Plain, Bishop Lavis, Delft, Mfuleni and other identified precincts on the Cape Flats, are still a concern for the management of the SAPS in the Western Cape,” she said.

Potelwa added that illegal firearms remain a core issue.

“At the heart of the murders, attempted murders and other aggravated crimes, are illegal firearms which we are targeting through various operational interventions.”