Gang crackdown: 1,000 officers deployed, over 700 arrests in Cape Town hotspots

Nearly one thousand police officers have been deployed to Cape Town’s gang hotspots, leading to more than 700 arrests of suspected gang members over the past seven months.

Authorities said the additional officers have made significant progress in tackling gang activity in areas including Tafelsig, Muizenberg, Grassy Park, and Manenberg.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said community cooperation is key to keeping gang violence under control.

"We’ve arrested about 54,947 suspects for being in possession of drugs for the last seven months. We also have those dealing in drugs (2,296 arrests), gang-related murders (96 arrests), and gang-related attempted murders (we had 60 suspects arrested), Mathe said.