Fighting gun violence needs all hands on deck - Western Cape DA

CAPE TOWN - Two men have been nabbed in Gugulethu for possession of an AK-47 rifle.

Crime Intelligence police officers arrested the suspects in NY 3 while conducting a vehicle checkpoint on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, police discovered five firearms hidden in a makeshift cupboard, at a house in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain.

The serial numbers of the weapons had all been removed.

Police said the firearms have been sent for ballistics testing, to determine whether they have been used in any crimes.

These confiscations come as detectives are probing at least two mass shootings in the Western Cape, in recent weeks.

In Bishop Lavis, seven people were killed, while in Atlantis, five people were murdered in suspected gang-related shootings.

READ: To fight gun violence, Gun Free SA calls on govt to prioritise firearm control

Democratic Alliance (DA) Western Cape spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety, Thomas Walters, said these incidents highlight the consequences of long-standing criminal intelligence failings in the Western Cape and must be seen as a harsh wake-up call for the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Walters said if there was to be any prospect of reducing gang violence in the province, proactive measures were needed to ensure that the SAPS was properly resourced.

"While the Western Cape government has allocated resources to assist with visible policing capacity through the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), the fight against organised violent crime can only be won if the SAPS plays its part by improving investigative capacity and providing the resources required to take the fight to criminals."

Walters said the number of detectives has steadily decreased in recent years, while 77% of police stations experience staff shortages.