The Cape Flats Safety Forum has called on newly appointed Western Cape police commissioner Sizakele Dyanti to depart from the methods of his predecessor and adopt a more proactive, intelligence-led approach after a weekend of deadly shootings across the province that left 11 people dead.
Cluster of killings renews pressure on provincial command
Forum chairperson Abie Isaacs said the scale and pattern of the killings demand unconventional policing strategies that prevent violence rather than simply responding to it. The weekend’s incidents included separate shootings in Khayelitsha, Langa and Gugulethu.
| Location | Deaths | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Site C, Khayelitsha | 3 (three men) | Saturday night |
| Langa | 5 (four men and a woman) | Separate shooting, Saturday |
| Barcelona informal settlement, Gugulethu | 3 (two men and a woman) | Early Sunday morning |
Isaacs said intelligence gathering must be stepped up and resources used more strategically. He pointed to aerial surveillance as one under-used tool and urged integration with military intelligence.
"We've got a chopper that needs to be utilised. Although it's R70,000, R80,000 Rands per hour, utilise those choppers. Integrate that with your military intelligence that are there, because I believe that the militaries here, the South African Defence Force, they also have an intelligence capacity," Isaacs said.
What the forum wants
The Cape Flats Safety Forum repeated calls for a special probe into gun violence in Cape Town and for policing that is preventative rather than reactive. Isaacs framed the issue as one of intelligence and resource deployment — advocating for coordinated use of aerial assets and any available military intelligence capabilities.
- Proactive policing: move from reactive crime scenes to operations that disrupt violent networks.
- Greater intelligence integration: use police and other state intelligence assets in a coordinated way.
- Use of aerial surveillance: deploy the police helicopter more often despite its cost, the forum said.
The forum’s comments arrive as the Western Cape begins a leadership transition in the provincial SAPS command. Calls for different tactics underscore community frustration with the persistence of gang-related and firearm violence in township areas.
Local impact and the immediate context
These killings add to an ongoing pattern of lethal violence in parts of Cape Town where gang control, retaliatory attacks and illegal firearms continue to drive mortality. Community leaders and safety organisations frequently press for sharper intelligence, increased police visibility and targeted operations to disrupt criminal networks.
The forum’s demand for greater use of aerial resources raises practical questions about cost versus benefit. Isaacs acknowledged the expense of operating a police helicopter but argued that those costs should be weighed against the human toll of continuing violence.
Police at the provincial level have yet to publicly respond to the forum’s statement or to the specific operational suggestions it made. The new commissioner inherits a fraught security environment in which community groups, residents and opposition politicians will be watching for early signs of a change in strategy.
For residents, the forum’s intervention is another reminder that long-term reductions in violent crime require both improved intelligence and sustained cooperation between communities and law enforcement. How quickly and effectively the provincial command implements any new approach will be closely observed.
