Tag Archives: gang violence

‘Crime cannot be walled away by R120m N2 wall’

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Picture: R120m wall built along N2 in Cape Town

By REGINALD KANYANE

9 March 2026- Build One South Africa (BOSA) said the acting Minister of Police, Prof Firoz Cachalia does not believe that the proposed wall along the N2 highway in Cape Town will stop crime. BOSA said Cachalia has directly contradicted the City of Cape Town’s justification for spending R120 million on a wall along the N2 corridor.

BOSA leader, Mmusi Maimane said in a written reply to BOSA’s parliamentary question, Cachalia makes it clear that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has not determined that the N2 safety project is an effective substitute for sustained visible policing or enhanced investigative capacity, emphasising that infrastructure interventions “cannot replace core policing functions.” Maimane said Cachalia further confirms that a wall will not address organised criminal activity, firearm-related offences, gang violence, or broader public order challenges affecting surrounding communities.

“This stands in stark contrast to repeated public commitments by the Mayor of Cape Town that the N2 wall will help stop crime along the corridor. The Minister has effectively punctured the City of Cape Town’s justification for spending R120 million on a wall along the N2.

“This contradiction exposes the fundamental problem with the project. BOSA has long held that this wall is more a cosmetic intervention than a crime-fighting strategy. If the country’s own Police Minister acknowledges that a wall will not stop the most

serious forms of crime affecting nearby communities, then the City must explain why it continues to present this project as a meaningful safety solution,” he said.

Maimane added that a R120m barrier along the highway used by thousands of people travelling between the airport and the city each day risks echoing the spatial logic of the past. He said symbolically, it will use infrastructure to divide communities and keep poverty out of sight.

“For many residents, the project mirrors the thinking of apartheid spatial planning. Separate communities and shield inequality from those passing by. Crime cannot be walled away, and South Africa cannot build barriers high enough to hide the reality of poverty and inequality.

“Real safety will come from effective policing, intelligence-led operations, proper investigative capacity, and meaningful investment in communities. BOSA believes that concrete walls act as a temporary measure to obscure deeper problems,” said Maimane.

He said BOSA will continue to oppose the building of this wall, and instead advocate for the R100 million plus budget to be directed towards real crime fighting measures in areas which need it the most.

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‘Stilfontein mine is a crime scene’  

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Picture: Stilfontein mine shaft   

By OBAKENG MAJE

18 November 2024- The president of Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa said as a government, they have made a clear determination to deal with acts of criminality, whether they be Cash-in-Transit heists, extortion, illegal mining, gang violence, or related crimes. Ramaphosa said illegal mining is a form of criminality that has caused a great deal of anger and anguish in communities.

He further said to address this problem, they set up an illegal mining task force involving various parts of the security cluster. Ramaphosa added that, they also deployed personnel from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support the work of the police.

“For over a month now, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other government agencies, has been working to resolve a situation of several hundred illegal miners refusing to surface from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein in the North West.

“The miners, who entered the mine to conduct illegal mining operations, face arrest. The operation forms part of the nationwide Operation Vala Umgodi, which continues to register gains in cracking down on illicit mining activities across the country,” he said.

Ramaphosa said the law enforcement authorities have information that some of the miners may be heavily armed. He said it is well-established that illegal miners are recruited by criminal gangs and form part of wider organised crime syndicates.

“The hazardous nature of illicit and unregulated mining poses considerable risk in terms of the presence of explosives, the inhalation of toxic fumes and the possible collapse of unstable mine shafts.

“This endangers not only the illegal miners, but also our police and other law enforcement agencies. Because of the many hazards such an operation poses, law enforcement agencies have been negotiating with the illegal miners since the stand-off began to get them to the surface and to safety,” said Ramaphosa.

He said police, mine safety experts and emergency and rescue personnel remain at the scene. Ramaphosa said the situation is precarious, uncertain and potentially volatile.

“As part of the operation, police had closed off the entrances the illegal miners use to transport their supplies underground. This has generated a great deal of public debate about the rights of illegal miners.

“Acts of violence and intimidation of communities by illegal miners is well-documented. Some illegal miners have been implicated in serious and violent crimes, including murder and gang rape. Many are in the country illegally,” he said.

Ramaphosa said illicit mining activity costs the economy billions of rands in lost export income, royalties and taxes.  He said violence between rival gangs over the spoils of illicit mining has spilled over into surrounding communities and has cost a number of lives.

“The hazardous materials used by illegal miners endanger the health of neighbouring communities. Last year, 16 people, including three children, were killed in an explosion in Boksburg in Gauteng linked to gas used by illegal miners to process gold.

“This was just one of many such accidents linked to illegal mining activity that has claimed the lives of both miners and innocent civilians,” said Ramaphosa.

He said they need to be clear that the activities of these miners are illegal. Ramaphosa said they pose a risk to the economy, communities and personal safety.

“The Stilfontein mine is a crime scene, where the offence of illegal mining is being committed. It is standard police practice everywhere to secure a crime scene and to block off escape routes that enable criminals to evade arrest.

“In doing so, the police must take great care to ensure that lives are not put at risk and that the rights of all people are respected. So far, more than 1000 miners have surfaced and been arrested,” he said.

Ramaphosa said those who resurface are assessed by medical personnel on site. He said those in good health are detained and will be processed according to the law.

“Those who require medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard. The police will carry out their duties and responsibilities to bring the illegal miners to the surface safely.

“They will do all they can to reduce the risk of harm to the miners and to our law enforcement officials. We will continue to work with the mining industry to ensure they take responsibility for rehabilitating or closing mines that are no longer operational,” said Ramaphosa.

He said as a country committed to the rule of law and dedicated to upholding the human rights of all, they will continue to work towards a peaceful resolution of the stand-off at Stilfontein.

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