Mchunu: Recent wave of gang violence in Cape Town requires special intervention

CAPE TOWN - Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said that the recent wave of gang violence in Cape Town, which has left 18 people dead in just two weeks, is a grave concern and requires special intervention.

Mchunu also said that violent crime remains concentrated in the four provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western and Eastern Cape.

Mchunu was delivering his department’s budget in the National Assembly on Friday, saying that additional resources were needed to address violent crime in the four provinces. 

Mchunu said that a total of 225 hotspots have been identified, demanding targeted and intelligence led interventions.

"The recent random four waves of gang violence in Cape Town [from the 22nd of June up to 4 July]), resulting in a total of 18 murders, is a source of grave concern for the ministry. It is clear that identified high crime zones in all four provinces require intelligence-led targeted deployment of specialised units to combat criminality, over and above Operation Shanela."