South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed confidence that government intervention will halt gang violence and extortion in Cape Town, despite escalating killings in the city’s townships.
Answering questions in the National Assembly on Thursday, Mr Ramaphosa responded to concerns from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) about daily mass murders in Cape Town. The Western Cape province recorded 4,467 murders in the 2024/25 financial year, with 882 directly linked to gang activity, according to provincial officials.
“With the plans and interventions that we are now developing as we are continuing to deal with the gang violence issue and the extortion, we will be able to bring this gang violence and extortion area of criminality to a halt,” Mr Ramaphosa said.
The president said police and criminal justice elements had been “working very hard” on the issue.
The Western Cape, home to less than 12% of South Africa’s population, accounts for nearly 90% of the country’s gang-related murders, according to provincial parliamentarian Deidré Baartman. Community leaders have urged the government to deploy the South African National Defence Force to patrol gang-affected neighbourhoods.
Mr Ramaphosa outlined several policing interventions currently being implemented, including Operation Lockdown, a national programme targeting high-crime areas through specialised units. The initiative focuses on enhanced intelligence capability, recovering illegal firearms, dismantling drug distribution networks and apprehending wanted gang members.
“The root cause is the economic situation that we find ourselves in as a country,” the president said. “Low economic growth results in our people becoming desperate, looking for short-term solutions to advance their own livelihoods.”
He added that investors would not come to areas plagued by gang violence and poor service delivery.
Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the mass killing of seven men in October at the Better Life informal settlement in Philippi, Cape Town, which prompted questions from EFF leader Julius Malema about the president’s awareness of the incident.
Mr Ramaphosa told parliament the South African Police Service is collaborating with the Western Cape provincial government and the City of Cape Town on an integrated, intelligence-led approach to combating organised crime.
Community activist Liam Jacobs, representing the Patriotic Alliance, has demanded urgent army deployment. “All we are asking of this system is peace,” Mr Jacobs told local media. “Because it is going to be impossible to make sure that we have long-term healing if we don’t have stability.”
Community groups have announced plans for a mass demonstration on 01 December, where participants will wear black to commemorate victims of gang violence.
During the same parliamentary session, Mr Ramaphosa defended his appointment of Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi as chairperson of the panel selecting the next National Director of Public Prosecutions. Current NDPP Shamila Batohi will retire in January 2026.
Members of Parliament, including Wesley Douglas from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, questioned whether appointing an African National Congress member to chair the panel created a conflict of interest when prosecuting ANC leaders.
“I do not interfere in prosecutorial matters,” Mr Ramaphosa said. “As president, I am not prepared to act as a prosecutor, as a policeman, as judge or any of those because we have people who have been appointed to execute those tasks.”
He emphasised Minister Kubayi’s professional standing and integrity, noting she works closely with judges, prosecutors and magistrates who vouch for her leadership. The panel includes representatives from chapter nine institutions, the Auditor-General and legal associations.
“The panellists I have appointed are people of great integrity and great eminence, and they are not about to be marginalised or dominated or to be led into conflictual decisions,” the president told parliament.
The deadline for applications and nominations for the NDPP position closed on 07 November. The panel will shortlist candidates between 17 and 21 November, conduct public comments until 06 December, and complete interviews by 11 December.
Professor Theo Neethling, from the University of the Free State’s Department of Political Studies and Governance, warned that army deployment to the Cape Flats should not be viewed as a sustainable solution to gang violence, which has roots in apartheid-era spatial planning and economic deprivation.
More than 980 police officers have been deployed to gang violence hotspots across Cape Town since April, including officers from the South African Police Service, City of Cape Town and national headquarters.
