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Residents march in Khayelitsha to demand action on gun violence

Published

About 100 people walked through Makhaza to the police station on Saturday under the "Silencing the Gun Walk" banner. Activists, residents, community policing forum members and neighbourhood watch members took part.

Funeka Soldaat, an activist and Makhaza community policing forum (CPF) member, said the march aimed to unite residents, government departments, law enforcement agencies and the broader safety cluster against gun violence. She said: "Behind every shooting is a human tragedy, a life lost, and a family left grieving."

Vuyo Khonkwane, also a Makhaza CPF member, said shootings have many causes. He said protection fee violence is one, but some people are shot because someone has a grudge against them.

Two shootings in September 2026 shaped the march. Three men were shot dead in a car in Town Two, Makhaza, on 16 September. Four men were shot dead in Site C on 26 September, three inside a vehicle and one outside.

Safe Suburb data shows Khayelitsha Police Station recorded 1,547 crimes from April to June 2026. It recorded 1,522 in the same period in 2025. Safe Suburb says the station is in the highest national bracket for violent incidents.

Key facts

Who
Vuyo Khonkwane (Member of the Makhaza CPF); Funeka Soldaat (Activist and Makhaza CPF member); GroundUp (Not-for-profit news agency that produced the story); SAPS (Source of details on the September shooting incidents)
What
Community activists, residents and members of community policing forums and neighbourhood watches marched in Khayelitsha on Saturday to demand police action against gun violence. The article also cites Safe Suburb crime statistics for Khayelitsha Police Station and two September 2026 shooting incidents in Town Two and Site C.
When
24 October 2026
Where
Khayelitsha, Cape Town, Makhaza
Status
Reported

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