Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
24 September 2023 | 12:47 CAT

Image: ActionSA

ActionSA says it is deeply troubled by the continued bloodshed caused by callous and senseless shootings that have become frequent in Nelson Mandela Bay. In the latest incident on Sunday, five people were shot and killed in an incident linked to gang violence in the city’s Northern areas.

“There has been a trend in Nelson Mandela Bay for the past couple of years, Nelson Mandela Bay has now become the murder capital of South Africa,” says
ActionSA Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson, Athol Trollip.

According to Trollip, it is an indication of socio-economic circumstances. There is a lot of poverty in the Nelson Mandela Bay area, but also gang-related violence is the scourge, particularly in the Northern areas.

The recent mass shooting came only four weeks after Police Minister Bheki Cele launched “Operation Shanela” in the very community where the incident occurred. Residents, however, continue to live in fear.

ActionSA believes that Cele’s recent visit to the violence-ridden Northern areas, marred by gang violence, was merely another opportunity to waste resources without providing tangible solutions or, at minimum, hope for the residents.

“The Minister’s visit, infamously for merely making appearances where people’s lives have been adversely affected by crime, didn’t come as a surprise at the time. He offered residents empty and superficial assurances amidst an escalating crime crisis in Nelson Mandela Bay,” says ActionSA

The Eastern Cape leads in South Africa’s murder rate, with crime in Nelson Mandela Bay spiralling out of control daily.

First-quarter crime statistics for 2023/24 revealed that the Eastern Cape had the highest murder rate from April to June 2023, at 17.7 per 100,000 individuals.

Moreover, the Province reported the highest incidents of rape recording 22.2 cases per 100,000 people. Additionally, Nelson Mandela Bay has sustained its status as a hotspot for truck hijackings, experiencing a 28.6% increase compared to the same quarter last year. These numbers demonstrate that the Eastern Cape has maintained its position as the murder capital of South Africa.

List to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.