Cape Town's crime surge linked to illegal firearms
Spike in shootings and emergency calls over the month-end weekend has renewed concern over illegal firearms and pressure on Cape Town’s policing and response systems.
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A surge in month-end crime has driven a sharp spike in shootings in Cape Town, as the City warns that illegal firearm supply lines remain entrenched.
The City of Cape Town said its Public Emergency Communication Centre dispatched assistance to 1 464 incidents. Priority policing cases nearly doubled from 34 the previous weekend to 61, including 22 shootings, up from eight.
The spike coincided with the month-end period, a time consistently flagged as high-risk, often linked to increased cash circulation and alcohol-related incidents.
In total, emergency services responded to 448 medical incidents, including 89 assaults. A further 171 traffic-related incidents were recorded, among them 39 motor vehicle accidents and 12 involving pedestrians, while 414 by-law complaints were logged.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said the figures likely reflect only a portion of the actual crime picture.
“These are reported incidents, so the actual number is likely far higher. Our enforcement services also recovered several firearms again this past week, which begs the now all too regular question of supply lines and what’s being done by national government to dismantle them,” he said.
Smith said the anticipated army deployment to crime hotspots may offer temporary relief, but would not address underlying issues.
“As the highly anticipated army deployment to some of Cape Town’s crime hotspots draws closer, it bears repeating that, while this short-term intervention is welcomed, the fact is that we need far stronger investigative capabilities and prosecutions to effectively tackle the gun and gang violence that plagues our city,” he said.
Recent crime statistics for the Western Cape show over 1 100 murders recorded in a three-month period, much of it linked to gang activity and firearms.
Recent shooting incidents have also highlighted the risk to civilians, with multiple victims often caught in the crossfire in volatile communities.
The Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape has called for expanded provincial policing powers, arguing that the current centralised model is failing to respond to persistent gang violence and the proliferation of illegal firearms.
DA Western Cape spokesperson on police oversight and community safety, Benedicta van Minnen, said the province should be given greater authority to deploy resources, strengthen investigations and directly combat gun-related crime.
The call follows a series of recent fatal shooting incidents across the Cape Flats, including cases in Gugulethu, Philippi East and Uitsig, which left multiple people dead and others wounded.
Against this backdrop, the City’s enforcement agencies continued operations across the metro, making 423 arrests and issuing 85 984 fines for various offences.
Law enforcement officers accounted for 199 arrests and issued 10 235 notices. Among the arrests, a 29-year-old was found in possession of a prohibited 9mm pistol and 23 rounds of ammunition in Hanover Park on Wednesday.
Two days later, a 23-year-old was arrested for illegal possession of a revolver and ammunition, while a blank firearm was recovered on Saturday following reports of shots fired in the area.
Metro Police officers arrested 167 suspects, including 57 for driving under the influence of alcohol, and issued 6 516 fines for traffic and by-law violations.
Traffic officers made a further 57 arrests, 50 of them for drunk driving, alongside three for reckless and negligent driving and four on other charges. Authorities also recorded 69 233 traffic violations, impounded 208 public transport vehicles and executed 656 outstanding warrants.