Cape Town, South Africa – The Western Cape remains the epicentre of gang violence in South Africa, with the vast majority of gang-related murders occurring in the province and disproportionately affecting young people in Cape Town’s Cape Flats townships.
According to South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year (October to December 2025), 257 of the 276 gang-related murders recorded across the entire country took place in the Western Cape.0 This means the province, which holds less than 12% of South Africa’s population, accounted for over 93% of all such incidents nationally during that period.5
The Western Cape recorded a total of 1,157 murders in the same quarter, a decrease of 41 cases (3.4%) from the previous year. However, one in every four murders and attempted murders in the province was linked to gangs, with the violence concentrated in Cape Flats areas including Delft, Mfuleni, and multiple townships across the Cape Peninsula.18
Gang-related murders in the first six months of 2025 rose 58% compared with the same period in 2024, continuing a five-year upward trend despite modest overall reductions in some murder figures.2
Youth and children are increasingly drawn into this cycle. Gangs are actively recruiting children as young as eight or nine years old, with many community organisations reporting heightened targeting of 12-year-olds and early teenagers.1 In one week during December 2025 alone, at least six children were shot in Cape Town gang violence incidents, resulting in four deaths.3
Between April and August 2025, 63 children were murdered in the Western Cape, with gang violence identified as the primary cause. Teenagers aged 15 to 17 made up 71% of these victims.13 Over a longer period, 472 children under the age of 17 were murdered on the Cape Flats between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years.5
Police data from 2024 further showed that more than one child was murdered every day in the Western Cape during a three-month period, with authorities directly attributing the spike to gang-related violence.10
Estimates place the number of active gang members on the Cape Flats at more than 100,000 across approximately 130 gangs. These groups operate predominantly in historically disadvantaged townships such as Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Hanover Park, Philippi, Vrygrond, and Ottery, where turf disputes, drug trade, and extortion fuel ongoing clashes.6
SAPS causative-factor analysis consistently shows gang-related incidents as a leading driver of murders and attempted murders in the Western Cape, far outpacing other provinces. In the third quarter of 2025/26, the Western Cape recorded 257 gang-linked murders while the rest of the country combined saw only 19.0
The pattern of youth involvement traces back years, with earlier figures showing that 83% of all gang-related murders in South Africa occurred in the Western Cape as far back as the 2017/18 reporting period.6 Violence remains deeply entrenched in specific policing precincts on the Cape Flats, including Delft, which has repeatedly ranked among the highest for contact crimes.
These statistics highlight the scale of gang activity concentrated in Cape Town and its surrounding areas, where young people continue to face both recruitment pressures and the risk of becoming victims in crossfire or targeted attacks.
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The latest quarterly data confirm that while some broader murder trends have eased slightly, gang-driven violence among youth persists as a defining feature of crime in the Western Cape.
[WATCH] Dildo slap erupts into a brawl and gunfire during a bachelor’s party in Dullstroom.
Dullstroom, Mpumalanga — A group attending a bachelor party in the highland town clashed with another gathering on Saturday, triggering a violent brawl that involved a sex toy used as a weapon, flying bar furniture, and gunfire that wounded two men.
The confrontation began at a newly opened restaurant in Dullstroom, where members of one bachelor party — visitors from Johannesburg — brought sex toys and a blow-up doll. The items caused friction with other patrons, including families present, after the doll was reportedly left exposed. Staff and locals asked the group to leave.
A separate group, celebrating two birthdays, had also been at the venue but left to avoid further issues and moved to another local bar and restaurant. Both groups later converged at the second venue.
There, a member of the bachelor party slapped a patron from the birthday group in the face with a penis-shaped sex toy. Fists flew immediately, and the fight escalated into a melee with bar stools and other furniture thrown. The brawl spilled outside into the street and parking area.
In the chaos, a man from the bachelor party drew a licensed firearm and fired at least four shots. Two men from the opposing group were hit — one in the stomach and one in the lower back. Both were treated at Life Midmed Hospital and discharged the following day, though one required additional medical follow-up.
The shooter and his associates fled the scene in a bakkie. Pursuers from the other group followed, leading to a separate confrontation at a nearby filling station. There, members of a third unrelated bachelor party — also visiting Dullstroom that weekend — were mistakenly targeted, pushed, and accused of involvement. No firearms were present in that altercation, and police who arrived dispersed the groups.
Farmwatch members used security camera footage to track the shooter to a guest farm near Tondeldoos. He was arrested without resistance on Sunday morning and handed over his weapon. Mpumalanga police initially opened two attempted murder cases, but the charges were dropped after the victims did not immediately provide formal statements. The suspect was released, and his firearm was seized for ballistic testing.
The South African Police Service confirmed the release and stated the investigation remains open. The victims have indicated they will report the matter formally with legal representatives.
Three bachelor parties were in Dullstroom over the weekend. Video footage of the initial brawl at the Coachman restaurant’s Saloon Bar has circulated, showing the furniture-throwing chaos that preceded the shooting.
No further arrests have been reported, and the town’s residents have expressed concern over the disruption to the normally quiet tourist spot.
Two Suspects Sought After Alleged Drugging and Theft of Electronics in Silverlakes, Pretoria
Pretoria – Two suspects are being sought by police following an incident in which a 23-year-old man was allegedly drugged and robbed at his residence in Silverlakes on Saturday, 7 March.
The suspects allegedly stole the victim’s iPhone 17, two MacBooks, a PlayStation 5 console and his pocket money before leaving the property.
CCTV footage obtained from the security gate shows the pair departing the premises in an Uber or Bolt vehicle immediately after the looting spree.
The victim’s relative, Mabotja Thabo, has confirmed the details of the theft and confirmed that a case has been officially opened at the Silverton Police Station under CAS 12/3/2026.
Thabo is offering a R5 000 reward to any member of the public who can positively identify the two suspects and provide information that leads to their apprehension and successful conviction.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Mabotja Thabo directly on 064 530 2883.
The matter remains under active investigation by Silverton SAPS.
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- Two Teenagers Arrested After Security Guard Killed at School Gate
- Double Murder in Chochocho: Mpumalanga Police Search for Suspects After Couple Shot Dead
- Dullstroom Bachelor Party Shooting Case Stalls as Police Await Victim Statements
- 55-Year-Old Suspect Arrested in KwaZulu-Natal for Unlawful Possession of Unlicensed Assault Rifle and Pistol
North West Father Remanded in Custody Following Alleged Murder of Two Young Sons Near Groot Marico
Groot Marico – Police in the North West province are investigating the deaths of two toddler brothers whose bodies were discovered in bushes next to a river at Skuinsdrift-Tshwaro Farms outside Groot Marico.
On Saturday afternoon, 7 March 2026, officers responded to the scene after receiving reports of the lifeless bodies. The victims were identified as one-year-old Reabetswe Masiangwa and his three-year-old brother Lesedi. Both children had sustained multiple injuries. Emergency and medical rescue services attended the scene and declared the boys dead on arrival.
According to North West police spokesperson Sergeant Kelebogile Morake, preliminary information indicates that the 35-year-old father of the boys, Afentseng Motlhanke, had collected the children from their grandmother earlier that day while their mother was attending church. Reports further state that an argument had taken place between the parents prior to the incident, during which Motlhanke allegedly threatened to kill the children.
With assistance from local community members, police traced and arrested Motlhanke on Sunday, 8 March 2026.
Motlhanke made his first court appearance in the Groot Marico Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 10 March 2026, facing two counts of murder. The case was postponed to 17 March 2026 for a formal bail application, and the accused was remanded in custody.
Acting provincial commissioner of the North West, Major General (Dr) Ryno Naidoo, welcomed the arrest and noted the swift collaboration between police and the community that led to the suspect being traced and detained.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths continues.
Armed Robbery Suspects Captured in Phoenix Operation
Phoenix, South Africa – Authorities have broken up a group linked to several armed robberies in the Phoenix region after a joint effort by KZN VIP and SAPS Phoenix officers on Wednesday morning.
Over recent months, KZN VIP and SAPS Phoenix gathered intelligence and followed leads from community reports of armed robberies happening in the mornings throughout Phoenix.
Using this information and tracking methods, teams identified the suspects’ vehicle, which directed them to a scrapyard in Trenance Manor.
Officers moved in quickly, arresting two suspects, though a third escaped and is still being pursued.
The captured individuals were recognized by robbery victims and had stolen items from those incidents in their possession.
A toy gun was discovered in the vehicle, reportedly used to scare victims during the crimes.
Investigators noted that the vehicle’s license plates had been taken off, possibly to evade identification during the offenses.
This action demonstrates the continued partnership between KZN VIP and SAPS Phoenix in addressing crime and safeguarding residents.
KZN VIP continues its efforts to fight crime and partner with police for community protection.
For emergencies, contact KZN VIP Emergency Control Centre at 031 502 3456 or 067 712 7976 (WhatsApp emergencies only).
