South Africa’s Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has delivered a sobering assessment of the nation’s security capabilities, acknowledging that law enforcement lacks adequate resources to combat increasingly sophisticated criminal gangs. This admission comes amid escalating violence that has plagued multiple provinces, particularly the Eastern Cape and Western Cape regions.
Minister Cachalia characterized gang violence as a ‘grave problem throughout the country’ during a press conference Wednesday, noting that criminal cartels ‘wield significant wealth and power’ that continues to undermine public safety. His comments followed a visit to Nelson Mandela Bay in Eastern Cape, where he described gangs as being on a ‘killing spree’ that has persisted into the new year.
Statistical evidence underscores the severity of the crisis. Official police data reveals an average of 63 daily homicides between April and September last year, while local prevention groups documented 118 deaths in Nelson Mandela Bay alone from August to December. The violence has continued unabated in 2026, with approximately 40 fatalities reported across the region in January.
The proliferation of illegal firearms exacerbates the situation. According to statistics cited by Gideon Joubert of the South African Gunowners’ Association, the country’s 63 million citizens possess approximately 3 million legally registered firearms—matched by an equal number of unlicensed weapons in circulation.
Recent months have witnessed several high-profile incidents highlighting the crisis. These include a mass shooting near Johannesburg that claimed 11 lives in connection with illegal mining turf wars, a hostel attack in Pretoria that killed 11 people including a three-year-old child, and a tavern shooting in Durban that left eight patrons dead.
Despite the establishment of a specialized anti-gang unit in 2019, Minister Cachalia indicated that traditional policing approaches have proven insufficient. He criticized ad hoc responses to the growing problem, emphasizing that ‘establishing gang units from time to time’ represents an inadequate solution to deeply entrenched organized crime.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged strengthened law enforcement measures and increased police deployments to address the violence. However, Minister Cachalia’s assessment suggests that without significant resource allocation and strategic overhaul, South Africa’s security forces remain outmatched by well-funded criminal networks.