Gangs are taking advantage of drug addicts by taking over their homes for money to feed their habit.

Manenberg Community Policing Forum deputy chairperson, Vanessa Adriaanse was speaking as this trend is causing a bigger problem of homelessness and crime in the area.

She says that gangsters are feeding and benefiting from the drug problem in the community.

Adriaanse says that poor people are also giving up their homes to gangs to carry out their crimes.

The community has been gripped by gang violence for several years, with an apparent increase in gang shootings.

But criminals are not deterred by the high presence of police in the area.

Adriaanse says that some gangsters are stabbing their targets rather than shooting them as the gunfire draws too much attention.