‘You’d swear everyone owns a gun’ says Khayelitsha police forum member

Words: Mary-Anne Gontsana / GroundUp

---

Mass shootings and gun violence are destroying lives and traumatising entire communities. This was the message echoed by community activists and residents of Khayelitsha in Cape Town on Saturday.

About 100 people, dressed in blue with yellow reflective bibs, marched under the “Silencing the Gun Walk” banner through Makhaza to the police station. They were joined by members of community policing forums (CPF) and neighbourhood watches to demand that police implement urgent action to stop gun violence.

‘Shootings are so frequent, you’d swear everyone owns a gun,’ said Vuyo Khonkwane, a member of the Makhaza CPF.

‘Yes, there is protection fee violence but in some cases you get shot because someone has a grudge against you,’ said Khonkwane.

Khonkwane said communities live in fear.

Activist and Makhaza CPF member Funeka Soldaat said the march also aimed to calls on residents, government departments, law enforcement agencies and the broader safety cluster to unite against gun violence.

‘Khayelitsha continues to face the devastating consequences of gun violence, with shootings destroying lives, traumatising families and leaving communities living in fear. Behind every shooting is a human tragedy, a life lost, and a family left grieving.’

“The Silencing the Gun Walk seeks to highlight this painful reality and send a clear message that gun violence cannot be normalised or accepted as part of everyday life in our communities,” Soldaat said.

Khayelitsha Police Station crime statistics place the precinct in the highest national bracket for violent incidents, according to Safe Suburb. Between April and June 2026, 1,547 crimes were recorded, an increase from 1,522 crimes recorded during the same period in 2025.

Two recent gun related incidents happened in Town Two in Makhaza and Site C, on 16 and 26 September. According to SAPS, in the first incident three men were gunned down while sitting inside a car. In the second incident, four men, three inside a vehicle and one outside the vehicle were also gunned down. In both cases the motive was unknown and no arrests had yet been made.

Also Read:

Protesters block major Cape Town highway – demand water, electricity

**Picture: **Mary-Anne Gontsana / GroundUp

The post ‘You’d swear everyone owns a gun’ says Khayelitsha police forum member appeared first on Cape Town ETC.