Western Cape police arrest 722 gangsters and seize 1,500 firearms in seven months
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has announced significant progress in its fight against gang-related crime in the Western Cape, with 722 alleged gangsters arrested and more than 1,500 illegal firearms confiscated over the past seven months.
According to the national commissioner of police, General Fannie Masemola, the arrests and seizures are the result of intensified operations and stronger collaboration between the police and local law enforcement agencies across the province.
“It is encouraging that the Western Cape police remain relentless in their pursuit to detect, dismantle, and dislodge gang-related activity in hotspot areas across the province,” said Masemola.
Since April this year, SAPS has deployed an additional 980 officers daily to gang hotspots, including Mitchell’s Plain, Mfuleni, Delft, Bishop Lavis, Tafelsig, Muizenberg, Grassy Park, and Manenberg.
This includes 800 officers from SAPS and the City of Cape Town, as well as 182 reinforcements from the national head office. These deployments are supported by the more than 9,000 officers already serving at 62 police stations across the city.
The crackdown has led to notable results. Between April 1 and October 31, 2025, police made 2,296 arrests for dealing in drugs, 96 arrests for gang-related murders, and 60 for attempted murders. Officers also seized 1,565 firearms and 39,371 rounds of ammunition during the same period.
Masemola credited the sustained cooperation between law enforcement and community safety structures for these gains.
“The support and collaboration of the community play a major role in ensuring that we put an end to gang violence,” he said.
“Through Community Policing Forums and other safety and security structures, the SAPS remains committed to forging solid partnerships to end ongoing killings.”
He added that since 2021, a total of 2,408 newly trained officers have been deployed to bolster police capacity across the province.
While acknowledging the scale of gang activity in the Western Cape, Masemola said the police remain committed to “prioritising and capacitating” the province in the fight against crime.
IOL News