Gun violence flares up in Vrygrond, police officer shot dead

CAPE TOWN - Gun violence has flared up again in the Vrygrond area of Cape Town.   

In the latest shooting, a 48-year-old police sergeant was killed outside his home in the early hours of Friday morning. 

ALSO READ: 

• Cape Town gun violence disrupts lives of residents in Capricorn, Vrygrond areas
• Guns responsible for almost half the murders during first 3 months of 2025 – crime stats

A community member in the area spoke to Eyewitness News on condition of anonymity 

"Remember, ShotSpotter does not cover that area, although it is deemed as a red zone and because of the taxi violence that took place here. I don’t understand why the city hasn't deployed [ShotSpotter]. JP [Smith] hasn’t deployed more law enforcement officers." 

Cape Town Safety and Security MMC JP Smith said that although they do assist police with certain issues, they can only do so within their allocated areas 

"LEAP [Law Enforcement Advancement Plan] is not deployed in that area. It is not a leap area. We’ve issued press statements recently explaining where the LEAP areas are. We’ve deployed in terms of the crime stats to the highest crime rate areas."