Government Strengthens Security Measures at Courts As 1 Arrested for Firearm Smuggling in Wynberg
- Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister, Andries Nel, confirmed that a person was arrested in Wynberg
- The arrest comes as the government is beefing up security at the country's courts in the wake of recent murders
- Rising gang violence in the Western Cape has led to several people being killed inside and outside of court premises
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Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
WESTERN CAPE – Shootings at the country’s courts are in the spotlight following recent murders in the Western Cape, but the government is taking steps to tackle this.
That’s according to Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister, Andries Nel, who weighed in on recent murders outside two courts in Cape Town.
The Deputy Minister noted that because of recent efforts made, a suspect was arrested at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 8 September 2025.
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Why was the suspect arrested?
Nel confirmed that a suspect was arrested for attempting to smuggle a firearm into the Wynberg Magistrates' Court. The person was nabbed after metal detectors went off and security officials confiscated the weapon.
The person was then taken into police custody. The metal detectors at the court were previously malfunctioning but have since been upgraded.
Nel visits Athlone Magistrate’s Court after fatal shooting
Ironically, the arrest occurred at the same time that Nel was in another part of the city. The deputy minister was at the Athlone Magistrate’s Court, which was the site of a fatal shooting on Friday, 5 September 2025.
One man was shot dead outside the court as he was exiting the premises. No arrests were made, but police confirmed that the shooting was linked to gang violence plaguing the city. The murder fuelled fears that retaliation killings could soon follow.
Nel visit was aimed at showing support to staff as well as emphasising the importance of strong security protocols across all court facilities.
“We are taking very urgent measures to beef up security at all of our courts,” he said.
Source: Twitter
The shooting outside the court in Athlone was by no means an isolated incident. On Monday, 25 August 2025, two men were shot outside the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court and Police Station. One of the men died at the scene, while the other was rushed to a hospital.
In April 2025, a 50-year-old man who was waiting in the corridors of the Wynberg Magistrate's Court was also shot dead. Police have since arrested five people for that murder, including two women. One of the women is alleged to be the mastermind behind the murder.
Professor Cachalia discusses deployment of army in Western Cape
Briefly News reported that Professor Firoz Cachalia ruled out the possibility of deploying the army in the Western Cape.
The Acting Minister of Police is visiting the province in the wake of rising gang violence.
The start of his visit happened on the same day that news broke of the murder of three men in Mitchell's Plain.
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Source: Briefly News
