The Americans (gang)

The Americans gang is a large street gang and organized crime group based in Cape Flats area of Cape Town. Like the Hard Livings gang, many smaller gangs throughout the Cape Flats owe allegiance to it. Some of these gangs include the Spoilt Brats, Dollar Kids, Young Americans, and Dixie Boys. It is the largest of the street gangs in Cape Town.[2]

Americans

The flag of the United States is often used as a symbol for the Americans gang. This is in contrast to the British flag that the rival Hard Livings gang uses.
Founding location	Cape Flats, Cape Town
Territory	Cape Town
Ethnicity	Cape Coloureds
Membership	~5,000 (2007)[1]
Criminal activities	Drug trafficking, Weapon trafficking, Prostitution, Contract killing, extortion, abalone poaching, Robbery, Fraud, Money laundering, Human trafficking, Kidnapping
Allies	Nigerian mafia, Triads[1]
Rivals	Hard Livings and other Cape Town gangs

A large gang tag by the Ugly Americans, a sub-gang of the Americans gang in Cape Town.

Gang tag of the Dixie Boys (left) along with tags from 27s and 28s prison gangs. The Dixie Boys are a street gang associated with the Americans gang.

The Americans were founded by Jackie Lonte in Belgravia Estate, Athlone who was previously a member of the Fancy Boys gang, but then betrayed them by stabbing the gang leader at the time to death. Lonte was assassinated in the late 1990s.[2] Their activities range from drug running and trading, poaching, abalone poaching, protection rackets and prostitution to more legitimate business operations.[3][1]

They are active in most coloured communities of the Cape Flats.[4]

The Americans gang is different from, although related to, other Cape Flats gangs that also use the "American" name such as the Young Americans and Ugly Americans.[5]