Experts say increasingly public shootings in busy areas point to deeper failures in intelligence-led policing and the criminal justice system.
Experts say a brazen shooting at a Western Cape coffee shop highlights the growing presence of organised crime in public spaces across South Africa. Picture: iStock
The circumstances surrounding the brazen shooting in broad daylight of a 33-year-old man in a coffee shop in the Western Cape points to a deeper organised crime problem, chair of the portfolio committee on police Ian Cameron says.
Security camera video shows two gunmen shooting the man multiple times, returning after the first attack to shoot him again.
Western Cape police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk said Table View police registered a murder case following a shooting incident on Monday at Marine Circle, Table View.
“Table View police found the body of the 33-year-old male with several gunshot wounds lying on his stomach,” he said.
The circumstances are under investigation and the motive for the attack is yet to be determined, Van Wyk said.
Shootings moving into public spaces
Cameron said it was concerning that these incidents were no longer confined to areas where people traditionally expected gang, taxi-related or organised crime violence.
“We are increasingly seeing brazen shootings in restaurants, shopping areas, fuel stations and other public spaces. That points to a deeper organised crime problem, not simply isolated acts of violence.”
Cameron said the key issue was that South Africa still does not have a proper official targeted-killings database, so these cases are often treated simply as individual murder dockets.
“A targeted killing, or a hit, as we know it, is not just a murder. It is often the visible end of a criminal network involving illegal firearms, surveillance, contract killers, extortion, drug markets, taxi violence, corruption or commercial disputes,” he explained.
Cameron said these shootings were becoming more public, more brazen and more disruptive to community life.
“Whether in Table View, Johannesburg, the Cape Flats or KwaZulu-Natal, the message is the same: organised crime is no longer operating at the margins. It is moving into public spaces and the state must respond with specialised, intelligence-driven and properly coordinated investigations.”
Justice system questioned
University of Limpopo criminology and criminal justice head of department Witness Maluleke said this was premeditated murder.
“It was well-planned; the victim’s laptop and phone were not the main targets. It is a reality that a human’s life in the South African context is not taken seriously; it can be bought and the criminals are not deterred from committing this heinous crime.
“With less repercussions, they are not afraid of the failing procedures of the criminal justice system.”
AfriForum’s spokesperson for community safety, Jacques Broodryk, said incidents like this are deeply concerning because they reinforce the growing normalisation of brazen violence in public spaces.
“Whether this was a targeted hit or a robbery that escalated, the reality is that patrons should not have to fear being caught in the crossfire while having a meal or coffee. Criminals are increasingly willing to act in broad daylight, in busy areas and with little regard for innocent bystanders.”
Broodryk said this underscores the urgent need for stronger intelligence-driven policing, visible law enforcement and swift consequences for offenders.
Ndivho Percy Sithuga of the University of Venda’s School of Law said the rise in broad daylight shootings is largely driven by the expansion of illegal firearm networks, organised crime, and weakened deterrence in the criminal justice system.
