Dereleen James, SAPS Rescue Children from Drug Den in Cape Town, Exposes Unsanitary Conditions

• ActionSA’s newly appointed Western Cape Provincial Chairperson, Dereleen James, and her team busted a drug den
• James and the South African Police Service found children in the den,
• James criticized the unsanitary conditions and pledged to dismantle local drug cartels and tackle crime

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

MITCHELL’S PLAIN, CAPE TOWN— Dereleen James and the South African Police Service stormed a drug den in Mitchell’s Plain in April 2026 and rescued a group of children who were found to be undocumented.

James posted a video of the rescue in the evening of 8 April 2026 on her @DereleenJ X account. The video begins with James announcing the raid and ends with social workers preparing to take six children found away.

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James pounces on the drug den

In the 10-minute clip, James began by saying that she received tip-offs from members of the community who reported suspicious activity at the house. James entered the house, and the condition immediately left her ill at ease. She entered the house and found adults and children sitting in the living room.

James discovered that six children are living in the house, and to her dismay, none of them are documented after asking if some of the elder children in the house attend school. She also learned that one of the children is registered in school without a birth certificate. One of the parents also revealed that only two out of the six children are beneficiaries of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) child grant.

James laments state of drug den

James continued into the house, where she was horrified at its state. The rooms were in disarray, and James deduced that it was a smoker’s house. She found children eating with cockroaches running around the room. She contacted social workers and requested that they begin intervention measures for the family.

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James decried the condition of the house. She said that the house had no food for the children. She said children cannot remain in the care of a mother who does drugs. She said the children will no longer stay in the house.

View the video on X here.

James promised to dismantle drug cartels. After she was announced as ActionSA’s Western Cape Provincial Chairperson, she said that her agenda will be centred around dismantling drug cartels, tackling crime, and fighting corruption. She recently expressed concern about how members of the public reacted to a gruesome incident in Mitchell’s Plain. A suspect was shot after fleeing the scene of a failed robbery.

Dereleen James lays charge against Gayton McKenzie

In a related article, Briefly News reported that James laid a criminal charge of intimidation against the Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie. James accused him of making remarks perceived as threatening.

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James questioned his travel expenses and alleged links to criminal networks. She said that attempts to intimidate her would not stop her from probing every possible link to the drug cartels in communities.

Source: Briefly News