GANGS SMOKKEL GUNS FROM NAMIBIA

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) says Cape gangs are smokkeling guns in from Namibia

International organised crime expert Mark Shaw of GI-TOC said South Africa ranked seventh globally on his organisation’s crime index as waves of violence devastate the Cape. 

Comparing it to countries such as Colombia, Mexico, and Italy, he warned that the country required “a joined-up, strategic response”. 

He met with acting police minister Firoz Cachalia, Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais and Premier Alan Winde on Wednesday.

Unveiling the Western Cape’s latest Policing Needs and Priorities (PNP) report, it laid bare the scale of underfunding, police shortages, and persistent gang violence, with the provincial government warning that without urgent reform, communities will remain trapped in cycles of crime and fear.

Together, they said that the Cape needs new strategies to fight organised crime.

The report highlights that 90 percent of gang murders in South Africa take place in the Western Cape.

GI-TOC also revealed that trucks moving fresh goods such as flowers and fruit are used to transport weapons smuggled from Namibia to the Western Cape, where they are supplied to gangs. 

According to the report: “No single gang monopolises this smuggling route. Gangs in the Grassy Park area of Cape Town, such as the Junky Funky Kids (JFKs) and the Six Bobs, were frequently mentioned as being among the recipients of the weapons. 

"The owners of one of the trucking companies, implicated in the smuggling, reportedly have close family ties to the JFKs. The leadership of the Six Bobs reportedly received more than 100 firearms in a single shipment in 2022. Larger shipments are split among the leaders of different gangs.”

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the situation continues to threaten the safety of communities and requires partnerships, expertise and collaboration.

He added: “We can only deal decisively with this issue if we work closely with the South African Police Service, private sector, municipalities, civil society, and faith-based organisations.”

GI-TOC said while weapons of Namibian origin seized in South Africa have so far have almost all been pistols, the country is increasingly seen as a source for automatic weapons such as AK-47 assault rifles.