South Africa's Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has said that the security forces are not yet able to defeat deadly criminal gangs, in a stark admission that underscores the scale of the country's crime crisis.
Gang violence, alongside robberies, accounts for many murders in South Africa, which has one of the world's highest homicide rates.
Cachalia stated that gang violence has become increasingly complex, particularly in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, demanding new strategies that go beyond traditional policing.
I do not believe that we are currently in a position to defeat these gangs, the minister told journalists on Wednesday.
Notably, the country has a long history of battling entrenched organized crime, compounded by widespread firearm ownership. Between April and September last year, an average of 63 people were killed each day, a stark reminder of the growing violence.
Cachalia noted, We had a discussion about the problem of organized crime in the Eastern Cape, including extortion rackets, gang violence and related issues. He emphasized that criminal gangs, often extremely wealthy and powerful, represent a grave concern for the nation.
The minister's remarks follow a troubling wave of killings in Nelson Mandela Bay, where at least 118 lives were lost due to gang violence between August and December of the previous year. This alarming trend has persisted into 2023, with reports of around 40 casualties reported in January alone.
Despite the establishment of an anti-gang unit in 2019, Cachalia's statements drew attention to the fact that gangsters appear to be gaining the upper hand, indicating an urgent need for a strategic overhaul in the fight against organized crime.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged the severity of the situation and committed to enhancing law enforcement efforts to address the ongoing crisis of gang violence in South Africa.
