The summit brings together affected communities, police, soldiers and researchers as lawmakers seek lasting solutions beyond temporary security operations….reports Africa News Desk
A Parliamentary Summit on Gang-Related Violence has begun in South Africa, with lawmakers, residents, police, soldiers and researchers examining the causes of gang violence and ways to tackle the networks that sustain it.
Opening the summit, Ian Cameron, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, said the inquiry must focus on the realities faced by communities affected by gang violence rather than treating the issue solely as a policy or policing problem.
“Gang violence is not an abstract policy problem. It decides whether a child can walk to school, whether a mother can send her children to the shop, which streets an ambulance may enter, whether a witness will speak, and whether a family sleeps in a bed or on the floor when the shooting starts,” Cameron said.
The summit marks the beginning of Parliament’s wider, nationwide inquiry into gang-related violence following a mandate from the National Assembly. Cameron said the inquiry would seek to establish what drives gang violence, sustains criminal markets, exposes weaknesses in the state’s response and determines who should be held accountable.
The summit began with public participation, with residents and community representatives sharing their experiences of gang violence and the state’s response.
Cameron said the decision was intended to ensure that the inquiry remained connected to communities most affected by the problem. He said Parliament needed to understand where existing systems fail, which interventions have worked and where government commitments have not been delivered.
The discussions come as Operation Prosper, a joint deployment of the South African Police Service and South African National Defence Force, continues in gang-affected areas.
Cameron said the focus should now move beyond the visible presence of police and soldiers to whether operations are disrupting the conditions that allow gangs to control territory, money and weapons.
The Portfolio Committee on Police and the Joint Standing Committee on Defence conducted oversight visits to Operation Prosper in the Western Cape last week. During the visits, communities raised concerns about cooperation between police and soldiers, intelligence-sharing and operational support.
Residents also expressed frustration that operations often focus on lower-level street activity rather than the leaders behind organised criminal networks.
Cameron acknowledged some successes, including drug seizures, arrests and the deployment of additional personnel that had helped stabilise some areas. However, he said questions remained over the continued availability of illegal firearms and illicit funds that sustain gang activity.
He stressed that the SANDF’s role is to support SAPS rather than replace it.
“If SAPS, Crime Intelligence, detectives, forensic services, prosecutors and the courts cannot use that space to weaken the criminal networks behind the violence, then the calm will be temporary,” he said.
Cameron said the effectiveness of operations should ultimately be measured by their impact on communities.
“A roadblock is an activity. An arrest is an output. The harder test is whether murders and shootings decline, whether illegal firearms are removed, whether criminal markets are disrupted, whether cases reach court and whether communities remain safer after the operation ends.”
The parliamentary inquiry will examine the wider ecosystem supporting gangs, including gun suppliers, drug markets and financial networks controlled by gang leaders. Cameron said these networks allow criminal groups to generate illicit funds, recruit children and replace members who are arrested or killed.
He also stressed that tackling gang violence requires cooperation beyond policing, involving social development, education, municipalities, correctional services, community organisations, the National Prosecuting Authority and the courts.
However, he said broader social interventions could not replace the state’s immediate responsibility to protect communities, investigate organised crime and ensure those responsible face justice.
Cameron said the committee would consider contributions made during the summit as part of its wider inquiry and conduct further engagements.
“Public participation means very little if people speak and never hear what happened to their contribution,” he said.
He said the inquiry must ultimately lead to sustained action to protect communities, dismantle criminal networks, remove illegal firearms and prevent young people from being recruited into gangs.
