Communities on Edge: Children Vulnerable As Gang Violence Escalates During Holiday

• With schools closed, children in Hanover Park and Mitchells Plain are more exposed to gang violence
• Recent gang attacks in the Western Cape, including Westbury and Wesbank, have left teens dead or injured
• Police and Anti-Gang Unit arrests continue, but gangs remain heavily armed, and law enforcement is under-resourced

As schools close for the festive season, anxiety is rising in communities plagued by gang violence, where classrooms often serve as the only refuge for children caught in the crossfire.

In areas such as Hanover Park, Mitchells Plain, Elsies River, and Kraaifontein, schools have long acted as safe havens during shootings between rival gangs. But with learners now at home, community leaders warn that children are more vulnerable than ever.

School holidays heighten fears of gang violence

According to EWN, Hanover Park resident and Community Policing Forum (CPF) spokesperson Kashiefa Mohamed urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant over the holidays. Mohamed, who lost her teenage son to gang violence eight years ago, also appealed directly to gangs to end the bloodshed.

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Gun violence in these neighbourhoods has become so commonplace that children often must adapt to it. In September, a video circulated on social media showing a Mitchells Plain teacher playing calming music for her pupils while gunshots rang out outside the classroom. Yellowwood Primary School Grade R teacher Sinead Majiet explained that educators have emergency measures in place to protect students during such incidents, highlighting just how normalised gunfire has become in these communities.

“It becomes normal for people to hear gunshots around the clock,” Mohamed said. “We are pleading with our communities to protect our children and not allow gangs to take over. This violence is not only happening in Hanover Park; it’s a crisis across the Western Cape.”

Police have reported a recent spike in gang- and gun-related crimes, prompting increased deployments in several hotspots as authorities try to curb the violence and stabilise affected areas.

Western Cape violence reaches crisis levels.

Gang violence continues to engulf the Western Cape, with authorities struggling to contain what many describe as an escalating crisis. August 2025 exposed the scale of the bloodshed, and the carnage continued into September.

Police stations in Kraaifontein, Mitchells Plain, and Delft each recorded double-digit murder figures, marking sharp increases compared to the previous year. Khayelitsha saw killings surge by nearly 40%.

Cameron noted that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is rapidly losing control in some areas.

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“People are being buried while national police leadership avoids the question of devolving policing powers,”he said

Briefly News spoke exclusively to Crime analyst and Crime Watch host Yusuf Abramjee, who said the statistics paint a grim picture. “Violence on the Cape Flats is at its worst. I have never seen it this bad,” he said. Abramjee described the situation as a full-scale war, driven by battles over drugs, firearms, and territory. Under-resourced law enforcement agencies struggle to respond, leaving heavily armed gangs to operate with near impunity.

3 Brief news articles on gang violence

• In a related incident, Briefly News reported that two teenagers, aged 17 and 19, were killed in a mass shooting in Westbury, Johannesburg, in what police believe was gang-related. The victims were part of a group inside a house when four armed men forced their way in and opened fire. Five other teenagers, including a 13-year-old, were injured. Residents rushed them to a nearby hospital after emergency services were delayed. A 16-year-old remains in critical condition, while the others are stable.

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• In other news, Detectives from the Anti-Gang Unit arrested several suspects in Manenberg, Athlone, and Mitchells Plain over the weekend. The arrests are linked to multiple violent incidents, including a fatal shooting outside the Athlone Magistrates’ Court in December 2025. The suspects are expected to appear in the Mitchells Plain and Athlone magistrates’ courts on 29 December 2025.

• Western Cape police confirmed they are investigating two counts of murder and one of attempted murder after a shooting shortly before 6 am at the corner of Wesbank Main Road and Silversands Road. Two men, aged 22 and 35, were fatally shot and later died in the hospital. A woman was also injured, sustaining a gunshot wound to her right foot. Authorities suspect gang involvement.

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Source: Briefly News