#NMBGangWars: DA Calls on Cele to deploy national SAPS resources to fight Nelson Mandela Bay gang violence

16 January 2023

Note to Editors: Please find attached a soundbite by Andrew Whitfield MP.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro is under siege from gang violence and the national minister of police must immediately make additional resources available to restore law and order.

This past Saturday and Sunday at least five people were killed and seven injured in the Northern Areas of the Metro. Over the years gang killings have occurred across Nelson Mandela Bay, however the Northern Areas have long been a hotspot.

The DA condemns this brutal gang violence and has made an urgent request for immediate action from the minister of police, Bheki Cele, to stop further killings and prevent an all-out war from breaking out.

I have written to the minister requesting that the national department deploys additional resources in the form of tactical response teams and public order policing units to crack down on this outbreak of violence.

There must be a robust response from the police at a national level to assist an under-resourced and under-capacitated police service in Nelson Mandela Bay and the whole of the Eastern Cape.

The police in Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape are losing the battle against gangsterism and people no longer feel safe in their communities or even their homes.

I have been informed that the local anti-gang unit only has three operational vehicles available and the Nelson Mandela Bay’s tactical response team has been deployed outside the Metro. The deployment of the provincial anti-gang unit to Nelson Mandela Bay will not be sufficient to deter violent gangsters.

We need more boots on the ground and vehicles in the streets immediately if we are to protect the long-suffering residents of the Northern Areas from gangsters and criminals. These killers must be brought to book and placed behind bars if we are to create a safer society.

We wish to convey our sincere condolences to the family and friends of those who have lost loved ones and pledge to continue to fight against violent crime and gangsterism

Issued by Andrew Whitfield, DA Shadow Minister of Police, 16 January 2023