South African police conduct mass raid in Cape Town crime hotspot

Law enforcement officers patrol the Marikana informal settlement, in what the Cape Town mayor's office describes as the "biggest anti-crime operation" in the city's history, in which more than 750 law enforcement officers from various units have been deployed, in the Marikana informal settlement and surroundings, in Cape Town, South Africa, October 12, 2022. REUTERS/Esa Alexander

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Rifles in hand and dogs in tow, hundreds of uniformed police descended on townships and settlements in Cape Town for a two-day raid on one of South Africa's most violent areas.

High rates of unemployment and drug abuse in the crime-ridden Cape Flats area have fuelled activity by gangs who City of Cape Town said extort protection money from residents.