Twenty people. One week. One province. One side of the mountain.
As a wave of mass shootings sweeps through Cape Town,particularly across the Cape Flats and nearby townships, residents are running out of words and patience.
In the most recent tragedy, seven men were gunned down in a brazen act of violence, pushing the city’s death toll to more than 20 in just one week.
“Performance Over Protection” A Community’s Cry for Help
While government leaders scramble for statements and police plead for public cooperation, one voice has cut through the nois,raw, urgent, and painfully honest.
Tarryn Bell, a community activist from Hanover Park, published a public letter on Monday, 30 June, that has since gone viral.
“This isn’t a war zone,it’s our communities. Our Cape Flats. Our sons and daughters,” Bell wrote.
“Yet politicians are too busy fighting each other. They have an actual budget for it.”
Her post calls out both national and provincial governments for what she describes as
- “Performance over protection”
- “Conversation over intervention”
Bell directly questions the government’s R700 million allocation for a National Dialogue on social cohesion, arguing:
“We don’t need another dialogue.
We need leadership with a conscience.
We need action, justice, and protection.”
Communities Gripped by Fear
In areas like Manenberg, Bishop Lavis, Bonteheuwel, and Mitchells Plain, despair has taken root.
“Funerals now outnumber public meetings. Gunshots have replaced the sounds of children at play.”
Minister Admits “Killing Fields of the Western Cape”
In a rare and sobering statement, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu acknowledged the scale of the crisis:
“There is no doubt that the Cape Flats in Cape Town have indeed become the killing fields of the Western Cape.”
Mchunu promised “decisive and extraordinary measures,” saying that traditional policing methods are no longer sufficient to combat the scale of gang and organized crime activity.
“One thing is crystal clear: murderers are out there to kill,” Mchunu said.
“The situation demands a targeted approach before these murderers intensify their terror.”
“We Bury Children Weekly”
For residents like Bell, these promises feel far too familiar,and far too late.
Contact Crime Stop: 08600 10111
All reports can be made anonymously.
