Saldanha Bay fishing communities now live in fear as gangsterism runs rife

Goats grazing in the Middelpos informal settlement, where Joshlin Smith disappeared on 19 February 2024. (Photo: Vince Cruywagen)

By Vincent Cruywagen

9 Mar 2025

Drugs, gangsterism and gang-related violence have disrupted the tranquillity of fishing communities in Saldanha Bay, with residents preferring to stay inside their homes after 6pm to avoid potentially being hit by a stray bullet.

The sea used to be the primary source of food and employment for residents of White City and surrounding areas in Saldanha Bay, but their lives were upended when the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment – formerly the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, or DAFF – implemented policies limiting the total allowable catch for many species.

Read more: White City, Saldanha Bay: A community devastated by quotas and rising costs

The impoverished community was forced to resort to poaching to put food on the table, and now, according to residents, the surge of gun violence has turned portions of Saldanha into a “ghost” town, including White City, Hopland, Middelpos and Tabakbaai in Diazville.

This bleak image emerged when the Western Cape High Court trial of those accused of abducting Joshlin Smith, who went missing on 19 February 2024, began on Monday, 3 March 2025, in the Saldanha Multipurpose Centre before Judge Nathan Erasmus.

Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, and her co-accused – Jacquen Appollis and Smith’s boyfriend, Steveno van Rhyn – have pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations against them. The State alleges that the accused “sold, delivered or exchanged” Joshlin, a Grade 1 learner at Diazville Primary, for money.

Joshlin’s case has also highlighted the prevalence of drugs in Saldanha Bay, as the court heard that on the day she went missing, all those involved, including her mother, claimed to have taken drugs, including tik, on multiple occasions and failed to look for her until hours later.

Read more: Accused admit to day of drug use while denying involvement in Joshlin Smith’s disappearance

To further illustrate the violence that has gripped this town, on Saturday, 1 March 2025, at about 7.45am, the body of a 40-year-old man was discovered burning in a garbage bin on Zabalaza Street in Middelpos, the same place where Joshlin disappeared.

Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said: “The deceased had a bullet hole in his forehead and an exit wound at the back of his head. Investigations continue with no arrest as yet. Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation. The motive forms part of the police investigation.”

Two activists and a former 28 gang member spoke openly to Daily Maverick about the prevalence of drugs and gang violence. The identity of the 28 gang member is being withheld for safety reasons. He still resides and works in Hopland in Saldanha.

‘Two brothers taken out’ has not deterred activist

Dianne Adams is the chair of Tabakbaai Neighbourhood Watch, which is participating in a broader security initiative to secure safety in and around the multipurpose centre for the duration of the Joshlin Smith trial.

The neighbourhood watch started with 50 members in 2020. Since 2021, gang violence has escalated in Tabakbaai, Hopland and Middelpos, she said.

“I stand here with a heavy heart because on Sunday, 1 September 2024, my brother Betram Petersen was shot and died. He was imprisoned for petty charges related to stealing a cellphone and released on 2 June 2024.

“He was 26 when he was released, but he was not a member of any group or involved in gangsterism. He was shot and killed shortly after 4am that morning while on his way to see his wife. His killer is an alleged 28-year-old gangster who is still on the streets,” she said.

Her second brother, Jonathan Nigel Struis, was killed on 26 October 2024, a week after his house on Mayflower Street was burnt down.

“On the day of his murder, my brother went to his opposite neighbour. His killer apparently called him by name. When my brother came out, he was shot in the chest, and the second shot hit his heart.”

But Adams, undeterred, is still leading the push to monitor streets in Saldanha Bay’s most volatile areas.

Adams noted that drug misuse is so widespread that children as young as seven years old are allegedly involved in drug dealing, carrying the drugs in their bags to school or drop-off locations.

“Gangsters follow this young drug mule to school, wait outside school and make sure that they are not intimidated. Residents are aware, talk about it among each other but too scared to go to the police,” she said.

Adams said most of the druglords in Saldanha are from Cape Town, and that Saldanha has become a sanctuary for gangsters from the city and elsewhere in the country. One of the alleged kingpins is said to work for an alleged underworld figure in Cape Town.

According to Adams, people in Hopland, Middelpos, Tabakbaai and White City prefer to be inside their homes by 6pm. After that gun-wielding gangsters take over the streets.

Saldanha Bay crimefighter Dianne Adams inside remains of her brother's home. Tabakbaai Neighbourhood Watch chair Dianne Adams inside the burnt-out home of her drug addict brother Nigel Struis, who was killed allegedly by 28s gang members in 2024. (Photo: Vince Cruywagen)

Drug addict Nigel Struis, who refused to surrender his house to the 28s, was shot and killed allegedly by gang members on 26 October 2024. (Photo: Supplied)

Betram Petersen, one of the brothers of Dianne Adams, was shot and killed on 1 September 2024. (Photo: Supplied)

Druglords target houses

Daily Maverick was also told that druglords had allegedly taken possession of at least eight RDP homes belonging to drug addicts or those with large drug debts.

However, none of these cases has been reported to South African Police Services or the local municipality because the tenants have been informed that if they speak out, they or their families will be killed.

A 69-year-old drug addict who lost his home in Hopland to suspected drug merchants talked to Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity.

“My son and I were drug addicts and we owed the merchants a lot of money. People working for the drug merchant are staying in our home and selling drugs.

“I was told if I go and open a charge at the police station, then my son and I and other family members will be killed. I’m an old man, who is going to listen or help me?” he said.

Daily Maverick also approached another seven people whose homes were reportedly taken over by drug dealers, but they refused to speak.

‘What is going to happen to us?’

Sobbing, 72-year-old activist Paulina Mali, who has spent her entire life in White City, told Daily Maverick: “I don’t know what is going to happen to us? The way gangsterism and gang violence and drugs are getting out of hand we must surrender our lives to death.

“I’m 72 years old and have for most of my life never heard a gunshot while residing in White City and now at the late stage of my life must start getting used to the rattling sounds of semi-automatic and automatic gunfire.”

It is also the first time in this close-knit fishing community that Mali has to lock her front security gate. It never used to be locked, she said.

One of the reasons why gangsters and drug kingpins rule with impunity is because the word on the street is that while those who allegedly sold Joshlin are not convicted, then they as gangsters and drug kingpins can also get away with their crimes

She also alleged that a new breed of children, as young as 12 years old, are the trigger pullers.

“At my age, going to see family members is too dangerous. Saldanha has become a ‘ghost town’, with gangsterism, drugs and gang-related violence on the rise. It’s no longer surprising to hear in the morning that such and such a person was shot and died in the neighborhood.

“One of the reasons why gangsters and drug kingpins rule with impunity is because the word on the street is that while those who allegedly sold Joshlin are not convicted, then they as gangsters and drug kingpins can also get away with their crimes,” Mali said.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that parents and their children are allegedly locked into drug-dealing jobs to provide food for their families. Gangsters have also established themselves as the “alternative government” in Saldanha.

This phenomenon was explained in criminologist Irvin Kinnes’ thesis titled “Contested governance: Police and gang interaction”, which reveals that gangs in crime-ridden areas on the Cape Flats have their own welfare institutions, churches and sports clubs that provide gangs with “space” in communities. The downside is that gangs slowly begin to rule violently across these communities, often with complete impunity.

Read more: Gangs of the Cape Flats: An alternative form of governance in desperate times

Goats grazing in Middelpos in Saldanha Bay Goats grazing in the Middelpos informal settlement, where Joshlin Smith disappeared on 19 February 2024. (Photo: Vince Cruywagen)

Former 28s kingpin opens up

According to a former 28s gangster who works in the area, the once-safe fishing community turned into hell about six years ago because of one individual, a well-known druglord and a 28 kingpin, whose identity is known to Daily Maverick.

“At first, this druglord handed out food parcels, became a good Samaritan and gained the trust of the locals. However, when he began selling drugs, he had the people where he wanted them. Some residents depended on him and the food he provided,” the former gang member said.

He claimed that the gang violence initially focused on abalone, which was in high demand from the 28s gang, not only in Saldanha but also in Cape Town and among Chinese nationals.

“The violence has now turned to a drug turf war. The drug war has made it harder for residents to leave their communities due to gang affiliations. Even schoolchildren from Hopland, Middelpos, Tabakbaai and White City risk their lives if they stroll through the various locations,” he said.

Temporary reprieve

Meanwhile, residents claim they are enjoying a reprieve after the arrest of a suspected drug dealer's was made last month.

On Friday, 7 March, Daily Maverick received a somewhat hostile reception from officers at Saldanha Bay police station, who flatly refused to provide the date of the suspected drug merchant’s arrest so that we could direct our question to the provincial police spokeswoman.

Their response was for Daily Maverick to submit questions to the province, who would forward them to the police station, and the police station would react.

Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said: “Be advised that the mentioned person was arrested on 28 February 2025, following a stabbing incident on 27 February 2025 where a 28-year-old man was stabbed in the chest.

“An attempted murder case was opened for investigation. He appeared on 28 February 2025 in court and has appeared again on Friday, 7 March 2025, in court for a charge of attempted murder.”

What can be done to curb the spate of violence?

Adams, Mali and the former 28s gangster all believe that visible policing is critical to reducing violence and fostering a safe environment.

The former 28 gang member also proposed an imbizo with Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, where all stakeholders could meet and devise a safety strategy specifically designed to combat crime in Saldanha Bay.

Mali added that the co-operation that existed years ago among residents had vanished like mist over the West Coast.

“In the past, if one parent yelled, all the parents in the street would rush out to see where they could help, but not today. Back then someone who had committed a crime was dealt with by the community in such a way that he would either leave his criminal ways or be driven out.

“More worrying is that parents become involved in crime and drugs for financial gain,” Mali added. DM

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Maverick Citizen

‘Two brothers taken out’ has not deterred activist

Druglords target houses

‘What is going to happen to us?’