Gang violence-related injuries are crippling Western Cape emergency centres and trauma units, with nearly 27 000 patients being treated at public hospitals in just six months, according to provincial Health Oversight spokesperson Memory Booysen, MPP.
She said 3 111 people were admitted for gunshot wounds and 23 711 for stabbing-related injuries between June and November 2025, which she told IOL was deeply alarming, and results in emergency centres and trauma units operating under relentless pressure.
She warned that this was stretching healthcare workers and diverting critical resources away from other emergencies.
“Crime prevention and law enforcement remain national competencies, and SAPS must do better to prevent criminal casualties from clogging up the healthcare system.”
She called on SAPS to urgently strengthen proactive, intelligence-driven policing, especially in gang-affected communities.
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