‘Light in this darkness’: communities push back against Cape Town gang culture | South Africa

Gang violence continues to plague the Cape Flats townships of South Africa, with over 1,037 gang-related murders reported in the Western Cape province last year, a 16% increase from 2024. Despite community efforts and a recent deployment of the military, residents remain skeptical about long-term solutions to the deeply rooted problem.

A Cycle of Violence

In 2015, Deniël de Bruyn moved to Cape Town to overcome a drug problem, but was fatally shot nine months later in what gangsters claimed was a case of mistaken identity, according to his cousin Lindy Jacobs. Jacobs’s 12-year-old son, Zunadin, witnessed the shooting and was later targeted himself, leading to his death in 2018 after the family sought police assistance. Jacobs is now raising her 12-year-old grandson, Noah, whose father also fell victim to gang violence.

The Cape Flats townships were established in the 1960s and 70s under apartheid as segregated areas for Black, Coloured, and Indian South Africans. These communities are now marked by families torn apart by gang activity, yet residents remain committed to their neighborhoods.

Community Responses and Skepticism

Jacobs focuses on community initiatives, running home gardening workshops and football training for children through the local chapter of Balls Not Guns, a collective of women’s volunteer groups promoting youth participation in sports. Despite the loss she has endured, she emphasizes the importance of “light, light, light in this darkness.”

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the military to combat gangs in his annual state of the nation address on February 12. However, many community members are skeptical, recalling a previous military intervention in 2019 where gang activity simply went underground.

“They’re going to instil fear, it’s going to happen for a short while … and then what?” said Gloria Veale, an activist with Balls Not Guns. Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia acknowledged these concerns but stated the action was necessary to save lives and restore calm, emphasizing the military will support, not replace, the police and that “What these communities need … is development.”

Root Causes and Systemic Issues

Gangs proliferated in Cape Town during apartheid, fueled by the forced removal of approximately 150,000 people from designated “white areas” to the Cape Flats, disrupting families and communities. Criminologist Ben de Vos points to spatial inequalities, congested communities, high unemployment, and a thriving drug economy as contributing factors.

South Africa’s unemployment rate is over 40%, and while the Western Cape has lower unemployment than the rest of the country, non-white South Africans, who comprise the majority of township populations, are least likely to be employed. Experts also express concern over the increasing recruitment of children by gangs, particularly those lacking state support.

Corruption and Lack of Trust

Irvin Kinnes, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Cape Town, highlighted a lack of trust in the police and pervasive corruption, from local officers to high-ranking government officials, as fueling gang crime. He described the violence on the Cape Flats as a symptom of a larger systemic problem of corruption.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime reported in 2019 that Cape Town’s 13 largest gangs had a combined membership of around 72,000. A research note last year indicated that the number and size of gangs have increased due to fragmentation.

Efforts for Change

In Hanover Park, residents lined up for donations from the charity CeaseFire. The organization employs former gangsters to mediate conflicts and support those seeking to leave gang life. Dalton, a 24-year-old who recently lost his brother to gang violence, is seeking help from CeaseFire to escape the cycle of violence, having initially joined a gang after his father was shot when he was a baby.

CeaseFire outreach officer Glenn Hans is optimistic about Dalton’s prospects, stating, “There’s gates up, out of the gang. You can go up. So he wants to move up in life.”

Elsewhere, volunteers are creating safe spaces, such as the Balls Not Guns chapter in Manenberg, which provides meals for pensioners and organizes football for grandmothers. Darion Thorne runs dance classes and film screenings for children, acknowledging the constant awareness of danger but striving to provide positive alternatives.