- The DA says Nelson Mandela Bay’s Anti-Gang Unit, Flying Squad and K9 Unit have collapsed after years of neglect and poor leadership.
- Only four vehicles are available for 110 Anti-Gang Unit officers, while the Flying Squad operates with one car and the K9 Unit has just 13 dogs.
Nelson Mandela Bay’s main police units are collapsing, leaving Gqeberha communities defenceless against violent criminals.
This was revealed during an oversight visit to local police stations on Monday, led by Parliamentary Committee Chair on Police Ian Cameron.
The DA said it found that major divisions, including the Anti-Gang Unit, Flying Squad and K9 Unit, are crippled by broken equipment, staff shortages and years of neglect.
Shadow MEC for Community Safety Yusuf Cassim described a “near-total collapse” of policing capacity in the city.
At the Anti-Gang Unit, 110 officers share only four working vehicles, and just eight of 29 detectives are full-time members. Essential tools like the ShotSpotter gunfire detector and mobile surveillance systems have been out of order for years.
The Flying Squad, once a rapid-response lifeline for the metro, now has only one working vehicle. Its landlines have been down since 2023 because of cable theft.
The K9 Unit has been cut from 40 staff to 22, with only 13 dogs remaining, just two trained to detect drugs, and no high-performance vehicles.
Cassim said Parliament’s own directives to fix the city’s policing units have been ignored. “Residents are left unprotected while officers on the ground fight an impossible battle,” he said.
Cameron said the situation violates Parliament’s July 2025 resolution that directed SAPS to rebuild the Anti-Gang Unit and Crime Intelligence divisions. “More than 1,000 gang-related murders have occurred in Nelson Mandela Bay since 2019, including 39 children in the last two years. SAPS ignored Parliament’s recommendations,” he said.
The DA plans to take its findings back to Parliament and demand answers from Police Minister Firoz Cachalia.
“The people of Nelson Mandela Bay deserve a police service that works,” said Cassim. “Until leadership acts, criminals will continue to rule the streets.”
Pictured above: Ian Cameron with DA Nelson Mandela Bay leaders Yusuf Cassim, Retief Odendaal and Regina Feldtman
Image source: Anita Dangazele
