Acting Police Minister Cachalia Blames Weak Schools and Unemployment for Gun Violence in Cape Town
- Acting Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia, stated that weak schooling and unemployment play a big role in the ongoing gun violence in Cape Town
- The minister said that people need to be honest and confront the facts about the conditions that resulted in the gun violence
- Cachalia and MPs debated the ongoing gun violence on the Cape Flats in Parliament on Friday, 19 September 2025
The acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, stated that weak schooling systems and the long-standing issue of unemployment play a significant role in the ongoing gun violence in the Cape Flats.
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What did Cachalia say?
In a debate with members of Parliament on Friday, 19 September 2025, Cachalia said that people must confront the facts about the conditions that resulted in gun violence flourishing in Cape Town.
The gun violence on the Cape Flats has resulted in the killing of innocent children. He said that gangs recruit the youth because the system has failed them.
More resources to be deployed
Cachalia confirmed that he received a plan to stabilise the gun violence. He stated that the national commissioner presented a plan to add more resources to the 13 problematic police stations in Cape Town.
Cachalia said that the uncomfortable truth must be confronted, and it takes courage to do so. He stated that poverty, unemployment, poor schooling outcomes, and improper mental health services play a crucial part in the ongoing violence.
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Cape Flats gang-related violence
An 11-year-old was killed in a gang shooting in Kraaifontein in the Cape Flats on 19 August 2025. The incident happened in Wallacedene in Mti Street, and children were playing on the street when a suspect opened fire. Three people were shot, and two survived.
A toddler was shot and killed in the Cape Flats on 22 August. The incident happened in Bontheuwel. Two armed men entered a home and shot the woman and her child. The woman used the child as a shield, and the child died from his injuries in the hospital.
Three people were gunned down in Nyanga, in what has been described as a mass shooting. The shooting occurred at the intersection of Borcherds Quarry and Klipfontein Road. The motive for the shooting is not yet known, but the province has been gripped by rampant gang violence. Over 300 people were killed in the Western Cape in August 2025 alone, from gang-related shootings.
Cachalia calls on Cape Flats gangs to stop fighting
In a previous article, Briefly News reported that the Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, had on 27 August 2025 in Cape Town, Western Cape, called for an end to the warfare between gangs in the province. Cachalia was speaking at the 27th Interpol African regional conference. Cachalia said that he is aware that anti-gang units were put in place to tackle Cape Flats violence.
Cachalia also said that he will engage with religious leaders who have taken the initiative to reach out to them. He said that he would plan to return to Cape Town in September to dedicate more attention to gang violence.
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Source: Briefly News
