A spate of kidnappings in Nelson Mandela Bay has shown just how out of touch MEC for Community Safety Xolile Nqatha is if he believes the current response is sufficient. In the past three months, several people have been kidnapped in the Metro, with two abductions reported this week alone.
These crimes are not isolated incidents. They are part of a sustained wave of violent targeting of residents and business owners, and a direct threat to jobs and investment in Nelson Mandela Bay. When business owners and managers believe they are targets, they relocate or close. The Bay cannot afford a single lost job.
Over the past three months, the Metro has recorded multiple high-profile abductions. These include, among others, a New Brighton shop owner kidnapped on 11 June, the abduction of Lindsay Knowlden from the Fresh Produce Market on 21 June, the kidnapping of a Cleary Estate woman on 3 July, the abduction of Chris Kaldelis in Schauderville on 8 July, and this week’s kidnappings of 73-year-old Theresa Minnie in Kariega and another victim in Holland Park yesterday.
In response to parliamentary questions from the Democratic Alliance, MEC Nqatha, said the Hawks have a 24-hour running dedicated and skilled investigators Standby Team working in the NMB district that works in a multi-disciplinary approach hand in hand with the tactical Units, local detectives and other relevant law enforcement agencies in the District in responding to the spate of these kidnapping cases.
He also said the interventions to date have not fallen short, but it is clear that this is anything but the case.
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The Democratic Alliance will be tabling a motion to compel the MEC to immediately engage the Provincial Commissioner and the Minister of Police to establish a permanent 24-hour joint operations centre in Nelson Mandela Bay led by the Hawks, SAPS, Metro Police, and the NPA. This unit must coordinate real-time intelligence sharing, conduct targeted operations in hotspots, and fast-track prosecutions with clear public reporting on arrests, dockets enrolled, and convictions secured.
This plan must include a confidential reporting line for residents and businesses, protection for witnesses, and direct liaison with sector bodies so that information flows quickly and safely.
The people of Nelson Mandela Bay deserve to feel safe in their homes and workplaces. With focused leadership, the right units on the ground, and transparent reporting, we can restore confidence and bring those responsible to justice. The people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers, and a future built on dignity, opportunity and honest government.