CHAINED FOR CHANGE

Gatvol residents of Overcome Heights chained themselves to the gates of Parliament on Tuesday in the hopes that their plight will be heard regarding the ongoing gun violence and murders in their communities.

Resident and community leader Karen Mentoor said that the spate of shootings is caused by gang infighting and called for the deployment of the South African National Defence Force.

She said: “The situation in Overcome Heights is very bad, we have almost three to four bodies going out of the community everyday.

"Our children are writing exams and can’t even study in peace, they are scared to go to school. We do not sleep."

"There is infighting one gang and innocent people are losing their lives as well. There is no police visibility and the police can’t do anything for us. We need the army to help us.

"We have chained ourselves to the gates of Parliament until someone answers us. We do not have a petition because we are tired of handing over petitions and lists of demands, it just goes from hand to hand.

"Every time there are imbizos and meetings but empty promises are being made.

"We cannot sit back and do nothing, we have to act for our children’s future. We demand action.”

Councillor Mandy Marr said that she is in full support of the protest to Parliament as it will bring the necessary attention to the plight the community is facing. 

She added: “The situation is very bad, we have daily shootings. We had shootings last night and again during the day. We cannot continue like this, it is absolutely crazy.

"Our police are not resourced, they have even come out and said they do not have a plan for gangsterism and we need them to understand what is happening in our area.”

A crime prevention imbizo was held at the Ithemba Primary School in Muizenberg in June where residents voiced their concerns about the gang shootings and extortionists that have crippled various communities in Muizenberg such as Overcome Heights, Vrygrond and Capricorn.

Karen Mentoor and Mandy Marr said there has been no change since.

Marr explained: “We have had no responses. I called on them for extra police resources because Muizenberg police station is not properly resourced to be able to handle the amount of crime that is happening."

The most recent killing was on Monday morning, where a 32-year-old man was gunned down in Liberty Street, Overcome Height.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that Muizenberg police are investigating a murder.

He said: "Muizenberg police attended to a complaint on Monday 15 September 2025.

"Upon arrival at the crime scene in Liberty Road at about 11:00, they found the body of a man who sustained a gunshot wound. The 32 year old man was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. The unknown suspect fled the scene and is yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is yet to be determined."