The Western Cape is known as SA's gangsterism capital and some residents fear that shifts in political alignments could stoke violence. The IEC in the province has security measures in place to protect voters and staff.

Some residents in gangsterism hotspots in the Western Cape are worried that the 2024 elections, set to be held on 29 May this year, could see tensions flaring among gangs.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in the province, though, has already flagged gang rivalry and violence as among the issues that need monitoring.

Other concerns include how gender-based violence, a problem across South Africa, could affect voter turnout, especially since more women than men are registered to vote in the Western Cape.

'Gangs back political parties'

Last week a resident who lives in a Cape Town gang hotspot, who chose to speak to Daily Maverick anonymously for safety reasons, said they were "extremely worried" about politics stoking tensions between rival gangs.

The resident said when political parties were "intolerant" of each other, this sometimes affected interactions between members of different gangs.

"We have different gangs supporting different political parties and that creates intolerance... it also creates fear among voters who might then not turn up to vote," the resident explained.

Abie Isaacs, chair of the Cape Flats Safety Forum, told Daily Maverick the group was concerned about escalating gang violence - it had noted an increase in...