The Parliamentary hearing into the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) petition for urgent intervention in the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Bay has now taken place, marking a significant moment in our fight to bring safety and stability to a community ravaged by gang violence.
Last week’s session saw powerful testimony presented to the Portfolio Committee on Police, with senior SAPS leadership, the Minister of Police, and committee members in attendance. I personally addressed the Committee, laying bare the realities residents face and calling for specific, coordinated responses to restore law and order.
We thank the Chairperson, DA MP Ian Cameron, for his leadership in ensuring this petition received the seriousness it deserves. We welcome his confirmation that the Committee will draft a formal report, with actionable recommendations based on the presentation and testimony delivered. Once adopted, this report will be tabled in the National Assembly and become a resolution of Parliament that the Minister of Police is obligated to implement.
The pain and desperation of the Northern Areas have finally been placed front and centre in our country’s highest oversight structures. For too long, the efforts made by my office and our community have fallen on deaf ears.
The work now is to hold the government accountable for what we believe should follow:
- Anti-Gang Unit: To double the number of officers allocated to the Anti-Gang Unit.
- Detectives: Assign the best detectives from around the country to support SAPS in NMB and recruit additional detectives.
- Crime Intelligence: Strengthen and allocate additional resources to crime intelligence.
- Police Visibility: Allocation of additional functional vehicles and SAPS Members.
- Crime Fighting Technology: Implement crime-fighting and surveillance technology – drones, CCTV cameras, ShotSpotter, eye-in-the-sky, and grabbers.
- Neighbourhood Watch Patrols: Additional equipment allocated to patrollers.
We have also asked the portfolio committee on Police to do the following:
- Oversight visits to the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Bay: Request the National Portfolio Committee on Police to conduct an Oversight Visit and to engage with the community regarding their concerns.
- Implementation of Interventions: National Portfolio Committee on Police is to ensure that interventions that are called for are expressed and implemented meaningfully.
- Multi-Disciplinary Approach: The National Portfolio Committee on Police should convene a joint Portfolio Committee with the Portfolio Committees of Education, Higher Education and Social Development to explore social interventions necessary for the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Bay.
The DA will ensure these demands are not sidelined or delayed. We will track every step of the implementation process, engage every forum available, and keep the pressure on until we see concrete results in our communities.
The people of the Northern Areas have waited too long. They deserve more than sympathy. They deserve security, dignity, and justice.
This hearing was a milestone. Now comes the test of follow-through. We will not rest until Parliament’s resolutions become tangible implementations in the community. Section 12 of the Constitution is clear: our people have the right to be free from violence. They deserve to feel safe in their own homes, on their streets, and in their schools.