Cape Town's Gang Violence: Communities Fight Back with Sport and Support
Lindy Jacobs clutches a photograph of her son Zunadin, who was tragically killed in a gang-related shooting at just 15 years old. Across the Cape Flats townships, volunteers are tirelessly working to carve out safe havens through initiatives like football training and dance classes, offering a glimmer of hope amidst pervasive violence.
By Rachel Savage in Cape Town. Photographs by Tommy Trenchard.
A Mother's Grief and Resilience
In 2015, Deniël de Bruyn relocated nearly 300 miles to Cape Town to live with relatives and overcome a drug addiction. Tragically, nine months later, he was shot dead in what gangsters in the Wesbank township claimed was a case of mistaken identity, according to his cousin Lindy Jacobs. The shooting was witnessed by Jacobs's 12-year-old son Zunadin, whose life was irrevocably altered. "My son's life was never, never ever the same again," Jacobs recounted. In 2018, gangsters attempted to kill Zunadin, prompting Jacobs to report the incident to the police. However, just two months later, her son was also killed. Jacobs now raises her 12-year-old grandson Noah, whose father was another victim of gang violence.
The Cape Flats townships, where Black, Coloured, and Indian South Africans were forcibly relocated by the apartheid regime in the 1960s and 70s, are filled with similar stories. Families torn apart by gangs, yet many remain steadfastly committed to their communities. After the alleged killer of her son was himself killed by a rival gang, Jacobs refused to celebrate, reflecting, "I said to myself, 'He is also somebody's child.'" Instead, she channels her energy into running home gardening workshops and football training for children, leading the local chapter of Balls Not Guns, a collective of women's volunteer groups promoting sports participation. "I always remember light, light, light in this darkness," she said. "Because if there's nobody that is trying to light, what is going to happen with our youth?"
Escalating Violence and Government Response
Last year, police data recorded over 1,037 gang-related murders in the wider Western Cape province, marking a 16% increase from 2024. The splintering of gangs has intensified turf wars over territories for drug sales and extortion, trapping ordinary residents in the crossfire. This surge prompted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce in his annual state of the nation address on 12 February that the military would be deployed to combat gangs. However, many community members express scepticism, noting that when the army was sent into the Cape Flats in 2019, gangsters merely lay low before resuming activities. "They're going to instil fear, it's going to happen for a short while ... and then what?" questioned Gloria Veale, an activist with Balls Not Guns.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia acknowledged these concerns in an interview, stating, "Those concerns are legitimate ... I do think that, in the circumstances, in order to save lives and restore some calm, this action was necessary." He clarified that the army would support police rather than conduct policing themselves, emphasising, "This is not a magic bullet ... What these communities need ... is development."
Root Causes and Community Efforts
Gangs proliferated in Cape Town during apartheid, when the forced removal of approximately 150,000 people from designated "white areas" to the Cape Flats disrupted families and communities. Ben de Vos, a criminologist running an NGO in Mitchells Plain, highlighted the underlying issues: "The spatial inequalities, the congested communities, the unemployment, which is sky-high. The drug economy gives an alternative economy." South Africa's unemployment rate exceeds 40%, and while the Western Cape fares better, non-white South Africans, who dominate township populations, face the highest joblessness.
Local experts also warn about the growing recruitment of children by gangs, including those left without state support after being excluded from systems. "The whole of government has failed to come up with a youth intervention strategy," said Martin Makasi, chair of the Nyanga community police forum. Irvin Kinnes, an associate professor in criminology at the University of Cape Town, added, "There's a huge lack of trust [in police]," citing corruption from ground-level officers to top government officials as fuelling gang crime. "The violence on the Cape Flats is a symptom of the bigger problem of corruption, in a system of accumulation that's not working for people."
In 2019, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime found that Cape Town's 13 largest gangs, including the Fancy Boys and Hard Livings, had about 72,000 members. A recent research note indicated no up-to-date figures but noted that splintering has increased both the number and size of gangs.
Grassroots Initiatives and Personal Stories
In Hanover Park, people queue outside a community centre for handouts from charities, while inside, Craven Engel of the anti-gang organisation CeaseFire worries about new gang formations like the Ghetto Kids and Young Gifted Boys. CeaseFire employs former gangsters to mediate conflicts and support those seeking to leave. Dalton, a 24-year-old gang member using a pseudonym, recently sought help after his younger brother was shot dead by a rival gang. "I wanted to be a gangster because they shot my father when I was five months old," he confessed. Now hunted himself, Dalton aims to escape, with outreach officer Glenn Hans offering temporary relocation and life-building support.
Across townships, volunteers create safe spaces. In Manenberg, the Balls Not Guns chapter provides weekly lunches for pensioners and football for grandmothers. Deidre Richards, 55, a chapter leader, admitted, "I sometimes feel like giving up. But then again, if it's your passion, you will just get up and try something or somebody else." Nearby, professional dancer Darion Thorne runs Saturday dance classes and fortnightly film screenings for children. "There are things that exist that are negative, but in the same way, things can exist that are positive," he said, though he remains constantly aware of danger, with occasional gunshots echoing nearby.
These efforts underscore a community's resilience in the face of relentless violence, striving to protect the next generation through sport, art, and unwavering dedication.
