Gangsterism in the Western Cape is claiming young lives and turning children into perpetrators, prompting calls for urgent national reforms. DA deputy chief whip Wendy Kaizer-Philander highlighted the crisis in a legislature motion, blaming systemic failures. Premier Alan Winde labeled the violence a pandemic, while opposition parties criticized the provincial government's record.
On 13 November 2025, the Western Cape Legislature debated a motion tabled by DA deputy chief whip Wendy Kaizer-Philander addressing the brutal killings of children and their grooming into gangs. 'Before I became a member [of the legislature], I was a mother – and as a parent, I stood confronted with a painful truth: our children are being lost, stolen by gangs, by drugs and by despair,' she said.
Kaizer-Philander noted that 80% of Western Cape murders are gang-linked, with 63 children killed in just five months. She accused the South African Police Service (SAPS) of failing communities and demanded national interventions. 'Where are the national interventions? And where is the urgency to save our children’s lives?' she asked.
Premier Alan Winde described gang violence as a 'pandemic' tearing families apart. 'Innocent children, mothers, fathers and grandparents are being slaughtered – families and communities torn apart. We need decisive action. This is no place for cheap politics; we must stand together with one voice,' he stated, advocating for devolution of policing powers.
Recent incidents underscore the crisis. On 3 September 2025, a 14-year-old in Atlantis allegedly killed a 31-year-old man and wounded a four-year-old girl. School violence surged: on 9 September at Tuscany Glen High, a fight over a stolen cap led to a stabbing; on 10 September at AZ Berman High, three learners were stabbed with a screwdriver. The Western Cape Education Department reported 69 bullying cases and 422 assaults, including 32 stabbings. In June 2025, four learners were shot dead in Samora Machel while in uniforms.
Opposition voices, including ANC's Khalid Sayed and Pat Lekker, accused the DA-led government of neglecting communities despite nearly two decades in power. 'Children are still being shot walking to school. Mothers still sleep on the floor to avoid stray bullets,' Sayed said. Good party's Brett Herron questioned the provincial government's effectiveness.
Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight Anroux Marais and others highlighted resource shortages. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia visited on 9 September, agreeing on the need for an intelligence-driven anti-gang strategy, with ongoing engagements promised.