WC gang violence: Good Party demands accountability over failed policing pact

Opposition parties are calling for urgent accountability from the three spheres of government related to ongoing gang violence and crime in the Western Cape.

Statistics show there have been 195 murders in the province in the three weeks since the beginning of January, with 78 murders occurring in the week from the 11th to the 17th of January.

The GOOD Party has lamented the high murder rate in the province, highlighting the government's failure to act on a policing cooperation agreement signed between the three spheres of government in August 2024. The agreement was aimed at integrating resources and intelligence to combat crime in the Western Cape.

GOOD Party Secretary-General Brett Herron said 18 months later, promises of "joint planning" and "coordinated action" have failed to translate into safety on the ground.

"Instead of a safer city, violent crime continues to surge, particularly in poorer communities where gangsters operate with near impunity. Even the Anti-Gang Unit appears largely reactive, often deployed only after lives have already been lost."

Herron said the party is calling on all signatories of the cooperation agreement to move beyond bureaucratic processes and act to tackle gang violence and crime in the province.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia’s office has indicated he will respond to the opposition parties' concerns later this week.