Forged by history, fuelled by drugs and guns, and unleashed through decades of neglect, corruption, and inequality, gangsterism is a scourge that has had time to develop into the violent force it is today.

Triggered by apartheid-era forced removals, which tore families from District Six and other inner-city areas and dumped them on the Cape Flats, gangs emerged as sources of protection and belonging.

But as contraband markets boomed, they cemented a deadly triangle of power: drugs, guns, and territory. Weapons from the liberation struggle and the arrival of drugs such as mandrax supercharged the violence.

Later, international supply routes opened, linking local gangs to global crime networks.

Today’s gang war looks different. Power is no longer concentrated in a few well-known bosses. Gangs have splintered, giving rise to younger, more ambitious and heavily armed leaders who can source their own drugs and weapons.

This fragmentation has driven unprecedented levels of violence across the city, from the outskirts of the city to the CBD.

The authorities are struggling to keep up, with police corruption, prison infiltration, and weak intelligence allowing these criminal groupings to operate from behind bars and penetrate law enforcement.

The Western Cape is sliding into its deadliest time of year, with gang violence shooting up again, as it does every festive season.

Historically, murders and serious assaults spike by up to 15% between October and December – and this year is shaping up to be no different.

The numbers behind the violence are staggering. Between April and September, an average of three gang-related murders a day rocked the Western Cape. In just six months, 575 gang murders were recorded – more than a quarter of all killings in the province.