Residents in parts of Muizenberg are living in fear as gang-related shootings continue to plague neighbourhoods, including Village Heights in Hillview and Vrygrond. 

The latest violence comes as Cape Town awaits the imminent deployment of the South African military to assist in stabilising gang-affected communities. 

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On Tuesday afternoon, two people were shot and wounded in Village Heights, Hillview.  

“The SAPS Muizenberg Station Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Nokwanda Harmans, confirms that an attempted murder incident occurred on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at approximately 14:14 in Village Heights, Hillview,” said the Muizenberg Community Policing Forum (CPF) in a statement. 

According to the Muizenberg CPF, reports suggest that four suspects opened fire on individuals believed to be affiliated with a local gang. Two victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds.  

“One victim was shot in the right hand, while another sustained gunshot wounds to the legs.”  

Police said the suspects were travelling in a silver Honda, which was later abandoned at the scene before they fled on foot.  

“The motive for the attack is believed to be gang-related. The incident is currently under investigation by SAPS Muizenberg,” the CPF said, noting that no arrests have been made. 

Just hours prior, a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed on Harmony Road in Vrygrond.  

The CPF confirmed that the incident occurred on 16 February at approximately 22:00. 

Officers found the teenager with multiple gunshot wounds, who was declared dead on the scene.  

Police investigations into both incidents are ongoing, with authorities urging residents to come forward with information as efforts intensify to curb escalating gang violence in the area.

SA Canegrowers has called for urgent, high-level government intervention to stabilise South Africa’s struggling sugar industry, warning that thousands of jobs and rural economies are at risk if immediate action is not taken.

In a statement released on Friday, the industry body, which represents about 27,000 small-scale and 1,100 large-scale sugarcane growers, confirmed it has formally written to President Cyril Ramaphosa and several Cabinet ministers requesting coordinated support to address what it describes as a growing crisis.

The call comes ahead of a provisional liquidation hearing involving sugar producer Tongaat Hulett scheduled for 27 February, which growers say could have far-reaching consequences for the entire sugar value chain.

SA Canegrowers said the sector is under severe strain due to multiple challenges, including uncertainty around Tongaat Hulett’s milling operations, rising sugar imports and the continued impact of the Health Promotion Levy.

According to the organisation, Tongaat Hulett’s mills are critical infrastructure, serving about 18,000 growers who have no viable alternative facilities to process their sugarcane.

The group warned that a collapse of the company’s operations could result in an estimated 40,000 direct job losses and widespread economic disruption in rural communities, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

SA Canegrowers chairperson Higgins Mdluli says the cost of stabilising and preserving these operations is materially lower than the long-term social, fiscal and industrial cost of rebuilding a collapsed value chain.

He added that the issue extends beyond a single company.

“For this reason, Tongaat Hulett’s operational continuity has become a matter of systemic economic stability. Urgent, coordinated government intervention is required to prevent a failure whose consequences would extend far beyond a single company.”

Among its proposals, SA Canegrowers has urged government departments to review sugar import pricing measures, ensure the continued operation of Tongaat Hulett’s mills, scrap the Health Promotion Levy, and recommit to the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan 2030.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has strongly defended Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), saying economic transformation remains essential to correcting the injustices of apartheid and reducing inequality in South Africa.

Speaking during his reply to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate in Parliament, Ramaphosa criticised calls to scrap BEE, arguing that the country’s Constitution requires deliberate action to address historical exclusion.

“We cannot do that without transforming our economy,” Ramaphosa said. “It cannot be acceptable… for African people, coloured people and Indian people to be poorer and have fewer opportunities than white people.”

The president rejected claims that BEE benefits only a select few or harms economic growth, pointing to what he described as measurable progress since the policy’s introduction.

He said black African household incomes grew by 46% between 2006 and 2023, while poverty levels among black South Africans declined significantly over the same period.

“Now is not the time to abandon BEE. Now is the time to make it more effective,” he told MPs, adding that government is reviewing the empowerment framework to strengthen inclusive growth.

Ramaphosa also emphasised unity within the Government of National Unity (GNU), saying ministers serve collectively rather than representing party interests in Cabinet.

“During the course of this debate, MPs have spoken on behalf of their political parties. When they are out on the streets, they campaign for their parties. But in Cabinet, there are no parties. There are no ANC or DA or IFP or PA or UDM or GOOD or FF Plus or PAC or Al Jama-ah ministries. Every Minister and Deputy Minister is part of a collective, working together to implement a common programme, the Medium Term Development Plan. No Minister or Deputy Minister should be claiming their work in the GNU as an achievement
of their party.”

However, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the GNU, has sharply criticised the president’s stance, warning that the issue could deepen tensions within the coalition government.

In a statement responding to the speech, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the party “reject[s] the protection of BEE, which has benefited only politically connected elites at the expense of the poor.”

“We will continue to fight for an alternative that creates a more inclusive economy for all,” Steenhuisen said, adding that the DA’s proposed Economic Inclusion for All Bill aims to replace race-based empowerment policies with measures focused on poverty reduction and job creation.

While reaffirming its commitment to the GNU, the DA said participation in the coalition does not mean “passive support,” and that it would continue pushing for faster economic reforms, including energy market restructuring, merit-based public appointments, and policies aimed at boosting investment and growth.

The debate highlights ongoing policy differences within the GNU, particularly over how best to address inequality while accelerating economic growth.