Massive decline in Police Reservists in EC
May 16th, 2022
There has been a massive decline in the number of police reservists, with figures dropping by a staggering 75% over the past six years, resulting in significant setbacks to safety in the province. There are thousands of potential volunteers out there! Let’s harness the energy of the whole of society working together to restore trust in SAPS and plug the safety vacuum. The drastic declines were revealed in several responses …
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Huge vandalism spike in EC Metros
May 9th, 2022
There has been a huge spike in vandalism cases of essential infrastructure in both the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City metros over the past financial year, placing significant strain on service delivery to residents. In Nelson Mandela Bay, reported cases more than doubled, rising from 143 cases in the 2020/2021 financial year to 292 reported cases in 2021/2022 financial year. For the same period under review, in Buffalo City, …
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Dramatic spike in kidnappings across Eastern Cape
April 13th, 2022
There has been a dramatic spike in kidnappings across the Eastern Cape, with cases rising over 20% year on year. In light of this, I am appealing to the public to be extremely vigilant when it comes to their and others’ personal safety and am calling on SAPS to increase visible patrols in hotspot areas. In the ten months between April 2021 and January 2022, there were 514 cases of …
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Eastern Cape still suffering Covid-19 pandemic jobs hangover
March 29th, 2022
The unemployment figures released today show the Eastern Cape is still suffering from a Covid-19 pandemic jobs hangover because the recovery for the province is far too slow. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey statistics, covering the period from October to December 2021, have revealed that the Eastern Cape’s unemployment dropped slightly from 47.4% to 45%, The expanded unemployment rate has also dropped slightly, from 54.5% to 53.2%. While we welcome …
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There has been a dramatic spike in beachfront crime within the Humewood policing precinct, in Nelson Mandela Bay, which could in part be attributed to the appalling vacancies at the Humewood Police Station. The shortage of manpower allocated to the station needs to be resolved urgently. In response to a parliamentary question I submitted in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, Community Safety MEC, Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe, revealed that the Humewood police …
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DA calls for Economic Impact Assessment of the Ukraine War on EC
March 16th, 2022
The Democratic Alliance has called on the provincial government to do an economic impact assessment of how the war in Ukraine can and will affect the Eastern Cape economy, and the adverse impact it is going to have on the people of this province. The unfolding humanitarian crisis, and the resultant dire economic impact, is going to have a knock-on effect on the economy and escalating poverty levels in the …
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The Eastern Cape police service is down to one operational helicopter to service the entire province, while only half of the required pilots are available for duty. This is one more than last year, when all four were out of operation. Shockingly, however, two of the three helicopters are only expected to return to operation in June 2023, as there are significant delays in getting them serviced. The latest quarterly …
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Eight long years to bring Chatty Police station to fruition
February 21st, 2022 It has been a long and arduous eight-year battle by the Democratic Alliance to get an additional police station built in Chatty, but the day has finally arrived, with Premier Oscar Mabuyane announcing the station has been opened in his State of the Province Address last week. I am delighted that the concerns of the people of the Northern Areas have finally been heard and actioned. I proposed the establishment …
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Eastern Cape murders on worrying upward trend
February 18th, 2022 There is an alarming upward trend in murders in the Eastern Cape, and all indications are that we will exceed pre-Covid levels. In the last quarter, the rate increased by 8.3% for the period from October to December 2021. This worrying trend shows that there is a declining respect for human life, with people engaging in senseless and brutal crimes. Criminals clearly no longer fear being caught. Combined over the …
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Claims against EC police approach R8 billion
December 13th, 2021 The Eastern Cape police are facing a staggering R7,992 billion in claims against them for 6 528 cases of alleged wrongdoing in the province. Despite the ever-increasing claims brought against police, the government has failed to capacitate the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), which is tasked with investigating police misconduct, with only one office to service the entire Eastern Cape. The DA wants to see a fully resourced and disciplined …
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