Ian Cameron Slams SANDF Deployment After 22 Shootings During Easter Weekend

• At least 22 shootings were recorded across several Cape Flats areas over the Easter long weekend, raising fresh concerns about gang violence
• Ian Cameron has criticised the joint operation by the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force
• He said that despite the deployment of soldiers, only two arrests have been made so far

WESTERN CAPE —The Democratic Alliance's Ian Cameron, has criticised the joint operation by the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force, saying it has been poorly organised so far.

The Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police questioned whether Operation Prosper, which aims to fight gang violence in the Western Cape, was making a difference in the gang violence in the area.

Why is the army deployment questioned?

According to Eyewitness News, the Cape Flats was gripped with multiple shootings, only two arrests were made by the army deployed during the Easter weekend. Cameron divulged that the arrests happened in Elsies River, where two men were caught with an illegal firearm and ammunition.

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Cameron further said there had been confusion over how many soldiers would be deployed, with numbers changing from over 800 to just above 200 on the ground.

He added that the number of officers should not matter if the operation is properly planned and based on intelligence. Cameron also called for better teamwork between police, the army, and local law enforcement to make a real impact on gang violence.

"If an operation is intelligence-led and prosecution-driven, it shouldn't be a problem. In fact, with quite a small team of police members and soldiers, you would be able to make a significant impact," he added.

Fatal shootings in the Cape Flats

The Western Cape has also seen a wave of deadly shootings across several Cape Flats areas between 31 March 2026 and the morning of 1 April 2026, leaving multiple people dead and others injured. Crime journalist Yusuf Abramjee said the attacks happened at different times during the day, highlighting how widespread the violence was. In Athlone, a man was shot and critically wounded in Yusuf Gool Street, while in Mitchells Plain another man was shot dead in Katdoring Street on Tuesday night, with the violence continuing into 1 April when two men were killed in Hanover Park.

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One man shot after mosque

In a similar incident, one person was killed, and three others were injured in two separate shootings in the Cape Flats on Friday night, 13 March 2026. Police reported that the man had just returned from the mosque when an unknown assailant called him outside and opened fire.

Previously, Briefly News reported that a string of shootings across Cape Town between 13 and 15 March 2026 left several people dead and others injured in different communities. Two people were shot and killed at the corner of Mew Way and Old Faure Road in Mfuleni, while in Cloetesville, Stellenbosch, two people were shot on Pine Road, leaving one dead and another wounded.

More victims were reported in separate incidents, including two people killed in Lavender Hill, a driver wounded in a hijacking in Parow, two people injured in Hanover Park, and a 35-year-old man shot dead in Elsies River.

Source: Briefly News