Intervention needed to stem crime wave

There was yet another bloody weekend in Nelson Mandela Bay which claimed the lives of at least six people. The victims included a respected northern areas deacon, a man murdered in his home in a case of mistaken identity and another shot dead in his car at a Humerail shopping centre. Violent crimes have become so commonplace in the Bay that residents are hardly shocked by the attacks any more.

In November, SA Cities Network released a report which painted a bleak picture of a city that is battling to keep its citizens safe as violent crime spiralled out of control.

That report stated that with 80 murders per 100,000 people, the Bay had the highest murder rate for a metro in 2021/2022. Researcher Siphelele Ngobese said: “The key concern is Nelson Mandela Bay, and it’s important to understand that different cities have different drivers of crime.

“How crime manifests is influenced by different things, like the flow and access to illicit firearms and gang activity. “That’s the main thing driving murders in this city.” The SAPS, which has its own challenges of limited resources, is battling to deal with the scourge of violent crimes in the Bay.

It is encouraging that there were some arrests at the weekend due to quick action by officers, but this is not always the case.

Socioeconomic challenges, including unemployment and poverty, are big drivers of rising gang activity and increased crime, and that is not something that the police can tackle on its own.

This requires urgent government intervention and a hands-on approach from the community. For those who are able, become more involved in neighbourhood or street committees and assist security companies, community policing forums and the police to keep our city safe.

These structures need assistance from the government and business to be resourced to be able to make a difference. It is only through such collaboration that we may see a reduction in bloody weekends and violent crime sprees.