By Anita Dangazele
- Police and city leaders met in Nelson Mandela Bay after 118 people were murdered in the Northern Areas in four months.
- Residents say gangs and drug lords control their neighbourhoods, while leaders promise action and tougher policing.
Residents from Nelson Mandela Bay’s Northern Areas say crime has turned their homes into prisons.
Police leaders and city officials met at the metro’s City Hall on Monday to address what many residents describe as a spiralling crime crisis. The meeting followed growing fear linked to gangs, drug lords and organised crime.
Between August and December last year, 118 people were murdered in the Northern Areas. The figure was shared at the meeting by Hendrina Potgieter from the Spiritual Crime Prevention group.
She said killings have continued into January.
“Residents now feel like prisoners in their own homes,” Potgieter told those gathered. “We are subjected to these gangsters because we cannot say anything,” she said.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said the meeting was not meant to be empty talk.
“We are ready to make progress,” he said.
Cachalia said crime cannot be solved without tackling poverty, inequality and lack of resources. He called on all role players to work together, police station by police station.
Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said criminals must know there will be consequences.
“We do not want our children growing up believing that crime is a legitimate means of survival,” she said.
District commissioner Major General Vuyisile Ncata said there has been some progress. He reported a drop in serious and violent crime between April and December last year.
However, he warned that attacks on schools, churches and businesses show criminals are still targeting vulnerable spaces.
Eastern Cape MEC for Transport and Community Safety Xolile Nqatha said 20 hotspot areas in the metro have already received extra policing.
He promised more action to make residents feel safe.
Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal said calls for action were made as far back as July 2025.
“Nelson Mandela Bay does not need more diagnoses,” he said. “It needs action.”
Pictured above: Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia at Nelson Mandela Bay City Hall.
Image source: Supplied
