The DA has written to the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to request the urgent intervention of SAPS to deploy specialist resources to deal with the ongoing killings in the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Bay.
The DA has previously requested the Minister to assist crime-ridden Nelson Mandela Bay but all efforts to date have come up short while violent crime spirals out of control. There have been a number of mass killings in NMB this year and while some arrests have been made, criminals continue to terrorise residents with impunity.
The killings in the Northern Areas earlier today bear the hallmarks of gang killings with the victims shot in the head and mouth. It is clear that specialist skills and resources need to be deployed to NMB in order to deal decisively with this bloody war which has left residents living in fear.
This is why I have asked the Minister to:
- Double the number of members allocated to the Anti-Gang Unit;
- Assign the best detectives from around the country to support the SAPS in NMB;
- Deploy the SAPS National Intervention Unit / Special Task Force in the Northern Areas;
- Strengthen crime intelligence; and
- Increase police visibility
In August the DA launched a campaign against the rising levels of crime in NMB. With four of the top 30 murder stations in the country located in NMB it is clear that more needs to be done. The DA’s petition has garnered approximately 5000 signatures to date and will be tabled in Parliament so that the Minister can account for his failures.
The DA will continue our fight for a safer South Africa because without safety we can never realise our full potential.