Nearly 100 children's lives were lost to gang violence.
Nearly 500 children and teenagers were killed across Cape Flats policing precincts in the past five years, according to figures recently released by Police Acting Minister Firoz Cachalia.
Cachalia revealed that the majority of deaths were linked to firearms.
“Yes, there were 472 persons aged zero to 17 years murdered for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025,” Cachalia confirmed.
Of these deaths, 316 were caused by gunshot wounds, accounting for approximately 67% of all child murders in the region during this period.
Gang-related violence claimed the lives of 157 children during the same timeframe, with a disturbing spike recorded in the most recent financial year.
The acting minister’s response to a parliamentary question from ActionSA’s MP Dereleen James shows that gang-related murders of minors more than doubled from 27 deaths in 2023-24 to 59 in 2024-25.
Firearms dominate as cause of death
Cachalia’s breakdown of murder statistics paints a grim picture of violence against children in one of South Africa’s most troubled regions.
Shootings accounted for 316 of the 472 deaths, with the 2024-25 financial year recording the highest number at 96 firearm-related child murders.
Stabbing deaths represented the second most common cause of death, with 103 children killed by cutting or stabbing over the five-year period.
“Cut/Stabbed” deaths fluctuated year-on-year, Cachalia noted, with 27 recorded in 2020-21, dropping to 16 in 2021-22, before rising again to 24 in 2023-24.
Blunt force trauma accounted for 35 deaths, classified as “Strike/Hit/Beat” in the police records.
Other causes included burning or being set alight, which counted for seven deaths. Additionally, five children were victims of death by strangulation.
Meanwhile, isolated incidents of drowning, poisoning, and being driven over contributed to the deaths.
Gang violence hotspots identified
Mitchells Plain and Elsie’s River emerged as the deadliest areas for gang-related child murders, with each recording 22 deaths over the five-year period.
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Cachalia’s figures show that Delft followed with 20 gang-related murders of minors, while Kleinvlei recorded 16 such deaths.
“Gang-related” murders of children aged zero to 17 years totalled 157 across 18 police stations, the acting minister confirmed.
Steenberg reported 15 gang-related child deaths, Philippi recorded 12, and Mfuleni saw 10 young lives lost to gang violence during the period under review.
Other significantly affected areas included Manenberg with eight gang-related child murders, Bishop Lavis with seven, and Lentegeur with seven.
Smaller numbers were recorded at Grassy Park (five), Belhar (four), Athlone (two), Samora Machel (two), Khayelitsha (two), and single deaths at Harare, Lansdowne, and Nyanga.
Firearm seizures total over 3 000
According to Cachalia, the police seized 3,335 illegal firearms across the 18 Cape Flats police stations during this period.
The station with the highest number of firearms recovered was Delft, where officers confiscated 471 illegal weapons.
Mitchells Plain recorded 345 illegal firearms seized, while Bishop Lavis recorded 271.
“Total number of illegal firearms seized in each police station area for the same year” reached 260 in Philippi, 255 in Manenberg, and 206 in Nyanga.
Other notable seizure totals included:
- Khayelitsha (187),
- Harare (182),
- Grassy Park (174),
- Kleinvlei (150),
- Elsies River (147),
- Mfuleni (136), and
- Steenberg (128).
Stations with lower confiscation numbers included:
- Athlone (115),
- Lentegeur (102)
- Samora Machel (102),
- Belhar (88), and
- Lansdowne with 16 illegal firearms seized.
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Year-by-year escalation in shootings
The statistics reveal a troubling upward trajectory in firearm-related deaths of children.
Cachalia’s data shows that shooting deaths rose from 62 in 2020-21 to 96 in 2024-25, with a temporary dip to 41 deaths in 2022-23.
The most recent financial year saw particularly severe violence in several areas. Mitchells Plain recorded 13 shooting deaths of minors in 2024-25, compared to just two the previous year.
Gugulethu experienced a dramatic increase from two shooting deaths in 2023-24 to 10 in 2024-25, while Steenberg’s numbers jumped from one to nine over the same period.
“Shot” deaths of children aged zero to 17 years totalled 316 across all Cape Flats stations for the five financial years, the acting minister confirmed.
Delft consistently recorded the highest numbers, with shooting deaths of minors ranging from six to 11 annually, totalling 39 over the period.
Gang-related murders spike sharply
The dramatic increase in gang-related child murders in the most recent year represents a crisis point for Cape Flats communities.
After recording six gang-related murders of children in 2022-23 and 27 in 2023-24, the numbers more than doubled to 59 in 2024-25, according to Cachalia’s response.
The figures show relative stability in earlier years, with 32 gang-related child murders in 2020-21 and 33 in 2021-22. The sharp drop to just six in 2022-23 was followed by the steady escalation that culminated in last year’s spike.
“Gang-related Murder” of victims aged zero to 17 years reached a total of 157 across the five-year period.
This represents approximately one-third of all child murders in the Cape Flats during this timeframe.
Broader patterns of violence against children
Beyond gang-related incidents and shootings, the data reveals multiple forms of violence claiming young lives across the Cape Flats.
Stabbing deaths were distributed across most police stations, with Delft recording 16 such murders over five years and Mfuleni seeing 11 children killed by cutting or stabbing.
Fatal assaults categorised as blunt force trauma showed particular concentration in Philippi East, which recorded eight such deaths.
Cachalia’s breakdown indicates that Mfuleni saw five children killed by striking, hitting or beating, while Nyanga, Samora Machel and Gugulethu each recorded three deaths in this category.
The seven deaths by burning or being set alight were scattered across Delft, Lingelethu-West, Mfuleni and Philippi East.
“Burned/Set Alight” deaths remained relatively rare but consistent, with at least one such death recorded in four of the five financial years.
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