SAPS must take proactive measures to curb Western Cape mass shootings

In another spate of mass killings, six people were shot dead and three others injured in less than 48 hours in Cape Town. This is the third mass shooting in under three weeks on the Cape Flats. On October 25, seven people were gunned down in Bishop Lavis, while sitting in a Wendy house. The previous day five people were shot dead in a car between Mamre and Atlantis. In these cases, police and neighbourhood activists suspect that the attacks are motivated by a continuing turf war between rival gangs. These deaths highlight the tragic consequences of long-standing criminal intelligence failings in the Western Cape, and they must be seen as a harsh wake-up call for the SAPS. If there is to be any prospect of reducing gang violence in the Western Cape, proactive measures are needed to ensure that the SAPS in the province is properly resourced.