Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read | 12 November 2025 | 09:30 CAT

South African police carry out a large-scale operation in the Westbury area of Johannesburg in April 2023. (File photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The recent surge in gang-related violence across Gauteng communities, including Westbury and Reiger Park, has reignited national debate over the government’s failure to curb gangsterism—long regarded as a Cape Flats crisis. Two people were shot dead while sitting on a porch in Westbury, and six others were gunned down in drive-by shootings in Reiger Park, leaving at least six more injured.

Experts now warn that gangsterism has become a “national crisis” that threatens South Africa’s social fabric and national security. Speaking to Radio Islam International, Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation, Christo van der Rheede, urged government to take decisive action.

“We run the same risk here that Colombia faced under Pablo Escobar. Gangsters infiltrated the state and went on a murderous campaign. We must not wait until it’s too late,” he cautioned.

Van der Rheede, a former school principal, described how deeply entrenched gang influence has become in local communities.

“Parents used to phone me over weekends saying their kids are being held hostage by gangsters. Even primary school pupils are being drawn in. This is not just a Cape Flats issue, it’s spreading throughout the country,” he said.

Chad Thomas, CEO of IRS Forensic Investigations, echoed these concerns, adding that gangsterism has expanded far beyond the Western Cape.

“Gangsterism is a South African problem. We’ve had incidents in Phoenix, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg’s East Rand. It’s the same pattern, turf wars filling the vacuum of leadership within the gangs,” Thomas explained.

He criticised what he called government’s “Band-Aid approach” to crime.

“We don’t have a decisive long-term plan. We lack experienced detectives and leadership within SAPS. Despite claims of adding 10,000 new officers a year, attrition rates cancel out those gains. It’s wholly insufficient for a country of over 62 million people,” he noted.

Van der Rheede attributed the escalation to years of political interference and the erosion of police capacity.

“We have politicised the entire police system. Commissioners are appointed for allegiance, not merit. What kind of dignity or equality exists when people in Reiger Park live in fear of being shot any time?” he asked.

Both experts agree that without political will and a depoliticised, intelligence-driven police force, gang violence will continue to escalate.

As Gauteng reels from the latest wave of shootings, calls are growing louder for gangsterism to be declared a National Crisis, a move that may finally compel government to confront one of South Africa’s most pervasive and deadly social threats.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Ahmed Waja, Christo Van Der Rheede and Chad Thomas.