'Coloured lives matter'

THE rise in crime in predominantly Coloured communities across the country, particularly in the Western Cape, has led to the call for the South African Defence Force (SANDF) to patrol the streets.

- BY XOLILE MTEMBU

Western Cape Provincial Finance Minister Deidre Baartman revealed that the province remains the epicentre of South Africa's gang crisis.

"Nowhere do we see the far-reaching effects of crime more visibly than in the scourge of gang violence," Baartman said on 30 September.

According to Baartman, gang violence has reached alarming proportions, with the province accounting for the vast majority of gang-related deaths nationwide.

In 2024/25, there were 4 467 murders, of which 882 were gang related.