Inside Cape Town’s Red Zones: A Battle Against Gangs & Poverty

Inside Cape Town’s Red Zones: Devolving Power, Fighting Gangs & Rebuilding Communities | Security Guy’d Podcast

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of the Security Guy’d Podcast, host Rafi Musaji sits down with Ward 47 Councillor and Subcouncil 11 Chairperson, Alderman Antonio Van der Rheede — a lifelong Hanover Park resident, social activist, and veteran local government leader.

Alderman Van der Rheede speaks candidly about the harsh realities of policing in Cape Town’s red zones, where communities are trapped between gang violence, systemic failures, and limited law enforcement powers. He explains how the Criminal Procedure Act restricts municipal law enforcement to crime prevention only, leaving investigations and prosecutions solely to SAPS — and why this gap results in dangerous repeat offenders being back on the streets within days.

Drawing from lived experience, he reflects on the human cost of gang violence, including the trauma of burying children lost to shootings, and makes a compelling case for the devolution of policing powers to provinces and municipalities so that cities can act decisively alongside SAPS.

Beyond policing, this episode unpacks:

• How local government actually works (wards, subcouncils, portfolios, and council)
• The role of subcouncils in bringing governance closer to communities
• Major housing developments planned for Hanover Park after decades of delays
• Women-led safety forums and support groups tackling domestic violence and trauma
• Youth upliftment initiatives, from dance and sports to Scouts and leadership development
• Community-driven safety models, technology-driven crime prevention, and anti-extortion efforts

This is not a political soundbite — it is an on-the-ground perspective from someone who has lived the problem, buried the victims, and continues to fight for practical solutions.

If you want to understand why communities are demanding change, what’s broken in the system, and what real reform could look like, this is an episode you cannot afford to miss.

Watch. Listen. Share. And join the conversation.

Chapters

• 0:00 Why Policing Is Failing in Cape Town’s Red Zones
• 3:41 From Hanover Park to City Leadership
• 9:32 How Local Government Really Works (Explained Simply)
• 15:26 Living in a Red Zone: Gangs, Trauma & Daily Reality
• 18:55 Housing, Dignity & Rebuilding Communities
• 25:39 Women, Youth & Grassroots Safety Solutions
• 49:56 Outro