Mothers from the Cape Flats community of Overcome Heights chained themselves to the gates of Parliament on Tuesday, demanding decisive action from President Cyril Ramaphosa to curb escalating gang violence that they say has turned daily life into a “state of terror.”

In a statement backing the protest, ActionSA (ASA) MP Dereleen James said the party had last week delivered a letter to the President urging him to declare a state of emergency on the Cape Flats so that “the necessary resources and operational capacity” can be mobilised against gangs.

ASA has also written to Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, calling for stronger visible policing and asking whether he supports the emergency declaration. Without such extraordinary measures, James warned, “innocent citizens living under siege” will continue to face near-daily gunfire, deaths, and disrupted schooling.