Picture: SAPS member in Cape Flats/Generic
By STAFF REPORTER
21 June 2026 – A shooting in Lotus River, where four men lost their lives and another was seriously injured, as well as a shooting in Manenberg that claimed the life of a young man and left several others injured, including a SAPS member, are stark reminders of the devastating impact that criminal gangs continue to have on communities across the Cape Flats, said the Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA in the Western Cape extends its condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives and wishes those injured a full and speedy recovery.
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety and MPP, Benedicta van Minnen said these tragic incidents reiterate the serious questions about the effectiveness of the continued deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as a response to gang violence. Minnen said while the presence of the SANDF may provide temporary and limited increases in visibility, it has not delivered the substantial reduction in the gang-related crime and violence that residents so desperately need.
“Residents deserve more than temporary deployments and reactive responses. They deserve lasting safety, effective law enforcement, and a criminal justice system that removes dangerous offenders from our streets. The loss of life to violent crime in communities such as Lotus River and Manenberg must never become normalised.
“The Western Cape has repeatedly called for more capable crime intelligence operations to investigate and dismantle criminal networks, along with an adequately resourced visible police service that is empowered to go out and disrupt crime rather than merely reacting to violent incidents after they occur,” she said.
Minnen further said the DA committed to a catch, convict and clean-up approach to crime that will see criminals put behind bars and the restoration of a police service that the public can trust. She added the DA in the Western Cape therefore calls on the Minister of Police and the National Commissioner of SAPS to convene an urgent anti-gang intervention task team for the Cape Flats, bringing together SAPS detectives, Crime Intelligence, the National Prosecuting Authority, local law enforcement agencies and provincial authorities to develop a targeted operational plan aimed at increasing arrests, securing convictions, and dismantling gang networks operating in identified hotspots.
The Guardian 