The Western Cape has reportedly recorded more than 150 children killed in gang crossfire on the Cape Flats over the past five years, highlighting a deepening crisis of violence that continues to claim the lives of innocent children.

In the past week and weekend alone, at least six children between the ages of four and 16 were victims of brutal violence, including multiple murders and shootings across Cape Town, a development described as especially alarming with school holidays fast approaching, a period  linked to increased risk for children spending more time in public spaces.

Among the victims was nine-year-old Zechariah Matthee, who was brutally murdered during a mass shooting in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain. Zechariah had been hiding in a cupboard when gunmen opened fire, yet he was still shot in the head, one of three people killed in the attack, which also claimed the lives of two young adults aged 25 and 30.

Action Society, which received a mandate from Zechariah’s family to oversee the case, attended a community memorial on 5 December, supporting the family and calling for urgent justice. Kaylynn Palm, Head of Action Centre: Western Cape, said: “This tragedy is another heartbreaking example of how children in gang affected communities are left unprotected while violent criminals operate with impunity. We refuse to allow Zechariah’s case to become another file collecting dust. We will actively monitor the investigation and push for accountability.”

 “The reality is that children in Cape Town are being gunned down in their homes, yards, and streets. Without real policing capacity and community-driven safety interventions, more children will die. The time for action is now.”

The week of violence extended beyond Mitchells Plain. In Kensington, 14-year-old Alnika Mitchell was shot dead while watching learners celebrate matric farewells.

In Cloetesville, Stellenbosch, a four-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy were shot when gunmen in a passing vehicle opened fire on an adult; the girl is fighting for her life in hospital.

As the school holiday period approaches, advocates warn that without urgent, coordinated interventions, more children are likely to fall victim to gang violence in communities already living under siege.

Action Society warned that without specialised policing and community-driven interventions, more children are likely to die.

“Cape Town’s children are living in a war zone while government remains paralysed. We need specialised localised policing with real resources and real accountability. Our communities cannot survive a system that is distant, centralised and failing at every basic level,” said Palm.

Siya Monakali from Ilitha Labantu said they are deeply concerned by the escalating number of children continuing to be killed in gang-related violence. “This ongoing loss of young lives reflects the entrenched crisis of violence that has taken root in many parts of the Cape Flats. Children are being killed in spaces where they should be at their safest, their homes, their streets, and their neighbourhoods.

“Families live under the constant threat of stray bullets, and children are robbed of their right to safety, dignity, and the opportunity to grow up without fear. Gang violence does not occur in isolation.

“It is rooted in conditions of poverty, inequality, and marginalisation, and it is intensified by systemic failures to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms, dismantle criminal networks, and ensure effective and accountable policing. These failures continue to create environments in which children are exposed to lethal violence and in which families are left to navigate profound trauma and loss.”

GOOD City of Cape Town councillor Jonathan Cupido condemned the recent surge in child-targeted violence. “This wave of terror is a sickening contradiction to the national observance of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children,” Cupido said.

“To have six of our children brutalised in a single week, four of them murdered, at a time when we are meant to be amplifying the call to protect the vulnerable, is a moral collapse.”

“These are not just statistics; they are shattered futures, devastated families, and a damning indictment of the failure to safeguard our most precious citizens,” he added.

Cupido urged law enforcement agencies and the National Prosecuting Authority to act decisively, ensuring arrests and effective prosecutions, and to increase visible policing in identified gang and violence hotspots.

“Our children deserve to grow up safe, free from the daily terror of gun violence and predatory attacks,” he said.

“If the 16 Days of Activism is to mean anything, it must translate into 365 days of action and accountability for those who harm women and children.”

The DA has also demanded a fully resourced, intelligence-led national anti-gang strategy and the immediate devolution of key policing powers to capable provinces and cities, warning that the current centralised model is failing and leaving children exposed to deadly violence.

tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus 

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