With parts of Nelson Mandela Bay turned into a bloodbath thanks to recent mass shootings, the ANC in the region has called on police minister Bheki Cele to revisit the city and outline his action plan for communities.
The party hosted a media briefing at its regional headquarters on Wednesday morning to address rising crime.
Since January, Nelson Mandela Bay has seen dozens of murders in various parts of the city.
Fearing for their lives, many township residents have resorted to locking themselves inside their homes.
ANC Bay chair Babalwa Lobishe said a second visit would be different as Cele had only visited families and not engaged with other stakeholders.
She said the purpose of asking him to visit was to give him a true understanding of the situation.
“If our stations had advance technology such as drones and other equipment to detect crime, we would not be in this situation,” she said.
“If he can meet us as stakeholders, including the municipality which is sitting and not fixing or installing cameras in our location, it would be better, because he has a higher command,” she said.
Lobishe said ending crime was in the best interest of SA.
“As leaders of the communities, we can’t simply stand by while our people have no peace, security and comfort,” she said.
The party has also announced it has cancelled its January 8 celebrations which were planned to take place in February.
This, the party says, is because there is little to celebrate.
Acting ANC secretary Eugene Johnson said Cele had announced a plan, but he must implement it.
Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
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