South Africa's Battle Against Gang Violence: A Minister's Stark Admission

Fri Jan 23 2026 01:43:36 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Police Minister Firoz Cachalia acknowledges the challenges South Africa faces in combating gang violence, highlighting a complex crime crisis as violent crime rates surge, particularly in Eastern and Western Cape provinces.

In a recent statement, South African Police Minister Firoz Cachalia admitted that the country's police forces are struggling to defeat increasingly sophisticated gangs contributing to a severe crime crisis. He emphasized the need for new strategies beyond traditional policing to tackle the complexities of gang violence, especially in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, where the crime rates have escalated dramatically. Despite various efforts, Cachalia conveyed that these criminal organizations maintain significant power, making the fight against them an ongoing challenge for law enforcement in South Africa.

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 had become increasingly complex, especially in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, requiring new strategies beyond traditional policing.

I do not believe that we are currently in a position to defeat these gangs, the minister told journalists on Wednesday.

South Africa, the continent's most industrialized nation, has long struggled with entrenched organized crime.

Many people in South Africa own licensed firearms for personal protection, but there are many more illegal guns in circulation.

Despite the creation of an anti-gang unit in 2019, Cachalia said gangsters seemed to be winning the war. Establishing gang units from time to time is an ad hoc response to a growing problem. I really don't think that we should be approaching this matter in a point-scoring way.\

His comments come on the back of a wave of killings in crime-ridden Nelson Mandela Bay, where about 40 people have been killed in January alone, highlighting an alarming trend of violence associated with gang activity.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to take stronger law enforcement action to tackle gang violence in South Africa, but concerns remain over the significant wealth and power of criminal cartels.