GOOD Statement by Jonathan Cupido,
GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor
18 February 2026
The GOOD Party vehemently condemns the shooting of a 9-month-old baby on the Cape Flats on Tuesday evening. Five people were shot in Bridgetown, Athlone. Among them was a little, innocent infant whose life was taken before it had even begun.
As GOOD, we call for the swift arrest of those responsible. They must face the full might of the law. We extend our deepest condolences to the family of little Amarah and to all those affected by this senseless act of violence.
However, the government cannot attempt to hide systemic failure with sudden displays of urgency.
The deployment of the SANDF has now been announced. Residents demanded action, and that demand is understandable. As GOOD we want to be clear and state that soldiers can only stabilise an area temporarily; however, they cannot fix a broken system. The quick reaction after tragedy does not erase the failure that allowed it to happen.
We are collecting bodies from our streets daily. Gunfire has become normalised. Communities have been labelled “hotspots” for years while the underlying conditions remain unchanged. Enforcement alone will never fix crime. If the government is serious about preventing the next little child’s death, then the response must be structural and not symbolic.
The government must ensure:
- Immediate budget reform that prioritises prevention alongside enforcement. Policy reform that treats gang violence as a public health and social crisis.
- Strengthen intelligence and detective capacity to secure convictions.
Funded youth diversion and gang-exit programmes and community development that attracts business and creates real job opportunities in the hardest-hit areas.
We don’t need more announcements, more optics and more reactive deployments. What the government must understand is that little Amarah was failed long before Tuesday evening.
If the government truly intends to honour her memory, it must do so through a decisive policy change and budget reform and not with press statements.
These killings must stop, and it must stop now.
Media Enquiries: media@forgood.org.za