Operation Prosper: Is military intervention failing to curb gang crime?

VIOLENCE continues in areas under Operation Prosper, raising fresh questions this week about whether intensified deployments are making any difference on the ground.

Those concerns were raised at the Provincial Safety Council, where Western Cape Premier Alan Winde grilled SAPS Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembilsile Patekile and senior leadership about the operation’s impact in gang-affected areas.

Winde said: “Too many communities are still under siege, enough is enough.

“Deployments alone are inadequate. We need consistent, detailed reporting to show whether this intervention is making a real impact.”

“This operation must not repeat the shortcomings of 2019. It must be intelligence-driven, coordinated, and focused on dismantling criminal networks, especially gangs.”

A recent parliamentary reply on SAPS resourcing in the Western Cape shows vacancy rates in many precincts ranging between 20 percent and 40 percent, including shortages in detective posts.

The comments come amid reports of continued violence in areas where the South African National Defence Force has been deployed since 1 April.

Ian Cameron, chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on police, said 49 murders and 32 attempted murders were recorded across the Cape Flats between 13 and 19 April, compared with 48 murders the previous week.

Benedicta van Minnen, DA Western Cape spokesperson on police oversight and community safety, said enforcement operations since January 2026 resulted in 19 813 arrests and the closure of 304 drug outlets.

“Of these, 1 001 arrests were for dealing in drugs, while 18 812 were for possession,” she said.

She said stronger investigative capacity is needed to improve prosecution outcomes.

Winde said SAPS must provide detailed data to assess whether Operation Prosper is having an impact.

“We cannot simply recycle the same crime-fighting measures if bullets are still flying and there is no meaningful difference in communities’ lives,” he said.