[imagesource: YouTube / Carte Blanche]

America may be the land of school shootings, but every day in this country sees a level of violence often likened to a war zone.

A recent spate of shootings in taverns across Soweto has highlighted the lawlessness and impunity with which criminals operate.

Manenberg has seen “all-out war” for months as gangs battle for control of the streets and videos of shootings in broad daylight are sadly all too common.

What is at the centre of all of this? Aside from a police force that has lost control, the scourge of illegal guns on South Africa’s streets plays a huge role.

Sunday’s episode of Carte Blanche digs a little deeper:

In the Cape Flats in the Western Cape, school children are often forced to run for cover during indiscriminate gun battles between rival gangs. But it’s not just gang wars causing concern…

Mass shootings are a growing problem throughout the country and, as our team discovers, illegal guns are at the centre of this crisis. This Sunday, Carte Blanche hits the streets in some of Cape Town’s most dangerous neighbourhoods.

In 2021, a number of robberies were reported at police stations around the country with firearms targeted. A single incident at Norwood police station in Jozi revealed the theft of 158 firearms.

It’s genuinely terrifying to see how little regard for life the gangsters featured below have.

[source:carteblanche]