With scant resources and the growing influence and power of organised crime syndicates, the South African Police Service is fighting an uphill battle, and the acting police minister believes law enforcement will have to evolve to counter the scourge of violent gangs. ‘I do not believe that we are currently in a position to defeat these gangs.” While acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia believes the police are making a “valiant effort”, and certain developments within law enforcement could pay dividends in the fight against violent gangs, he did not mince his words when he said they are losing the fight against organised crime syndicates. Speaking after a series of stakeholder engagements in Nelson Mandela Bay on Wednesday, Cachalia said a similar pattern is emerging between the gang-related killing sprees in the Western and Eastern Cape.
“These cartels are growing in influence, wealth and power. They are taking on an increasingly transnational character. “This is not a challenge that is unique to South Africa.
The globalisation of organised crime is now visiting our shores.” He added that there is increasing evidence for how syndicates have infiltrated law enforcement agencies, and said growing cartels present new challenges that will require the police to evolve. A week ago, eight people were gunned down in a shebeen in Philippi East in what the police and residents believe was a targeted killing linked to an ongoing extortion racket. This was just one of many incidents adding to the rising death toll of gang violence on the Cape Flats.
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In November, Eastern Cape community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha responded to questions in the provincial legislature pertaining to young people involved in crime in Nelson Mandela Bay’s gang-ridden northern areas. Over 12 months, ending in October 2025, 1,868 people between the ages of 14 and 35 were arrested. The cases included 22 murders, 33 attempted murders, 73 incidents of unlawful possession of a firearm and 444 drug-related charges. The vast majority of these cases were believed to be linked to organised gangs.
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