Cops losing ground as gangs tighten grip on Cape Town

Western Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, has acknowledged that the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the province is struggling to maintain effective crime-fighting capabilities due to severe staff shortages, budget cuts, and the poaching of officers by municipalities and the private sector, the Cape Argus has reported.

Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday alongside the Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, Patekile outlined key challenges facing SAPS as the latest quarterly crime statistics were released.

He said the province’s ability to respond to rising crime has been hampered by population growth through semigration and immigration, without a corresponding increase in police staffing levels.

“Since 2010, our staff establishment has not grown to match the rapid increase in population. The Western Cape has experienced both semigration and immigration, but we have not been able to scale up our numbers accordingly,” Patekile explained.

He added that officer attrition and competition from other sectors are further weakening their operational capacity. “Officers are leaving the service for better opportunities. Local governments, including the City of Cape Town, and private companies are offering more competitive salaries. We simply cannot match them.”

Efforts to improve staff retention include modest financial incentives, such as a R1,000 allowance for docket carriers. Patekile said detectives, in particular, face disparities in benefits compared to shift-based officers, a gap the province is trying to address despite budget constraints.

Currently, 43 contract detectives — all former SAPS members — have been rehired on a two-year basis to assist with cold case investigations. “We are also working on the permanent re-enlistment of experienced former members,” he added.

While 800 new detectives have been appointed from the ranks of trainee constables, Patekile noted that becoming a fully qualified detective requires a minimum of two years of training.

“If not for the assistance of neighbourhood watches and Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers, the situation would be far worse,” he said.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis recently highlighted that City-run policing services have outpaced national police in certain areas. According to 2025 fleet data, the City now has 560 more vehicles on the road than SAPS. He also noted that SAPS staffing has declined by more than 1,300 officers during the current term, despite population growth.

The latest crime statistics paint a grim picture of the province's safety landscape. Between July and September 2025, the Western Cape recorded 1,160 murders — a 9.1% increase (97 more cases) compared to the same period in 2024. Of these, 293 killings (25.3%) were linked to gang initiation or gang-related activity.

Murders arising from arguments or interpersonal conflict accounted for 231 cases (20.0%), while 153 killings (13.2%) were linked to retaliation or revenge. Extortion-related murders contributed a further 25 cases (2.2%).

Gang-related violence remains heavily concentrated in Cape Town, where 286 of the 293 gang-related killings occurred. This pattern is echoed in attempted murder statistics: 302 cases (26.4%) during the quarter were linked to gang activity.

Firearms remain the weapon of choice, used in 60.6% of murder cases.

Police operations between July and September led to the arrest of 114 gang leaders, 116 gang members, 65 suspects linked to extortion, and 125 arrests in connection with kidnappings. Officers also confiscated 1,291 illegal firearms, 32,476 rounds of ammunition, and 12,924 dangerous weapons.

Responding to the figures, MEC Marais said: “The crime statistics for the first and second quarters of the financial year do not paint an encouraging picture of the crime situation in our province.”

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