Political parties clashed at a Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting on Tuesday, exchanging potshots when the issue of rampant crime was raised, with some councillors claiming residents were learning criminal behaviour from mayor Gary van Niekerk.
The war of words was sparked by the recent kidnapping, shooting and robbery of ANC Ward 19 councillor Gamalihleli Maqula while assisting a resident in Kwazakhele last week.
During the exchange, deputy mayor Babalwa Lobishe was accused of being on TikTok while safety and security political head Stag Mitchell was scrolling through Facebook posts.
Before the meeting, speaker Eugene Johnson referenced Maqula’s incident, stating that any attack on councillors was a direct assault on service delivery.
“We need to keep our communities safe and protect our councillors at all costs because they are the face of service delivery in our communities,” Johnson said.
“It is time to step up and mobilise communities to defend themselves.
“The police can’t do it on their own, our metro police at safety and security can’t do it.”
Johnson said she would engage with the city’s top political leadership to call a mass meeting for each cluster to talk about crime, vandalism and gangsterism.
In his opening remarks, Van Niekerk said crime continued to ravage communities with blood-chilling incidents reported daily.
“Our region and municipality have become the object of focus with media bulletins covering a range of incidents of brazen criminality and painting a picture of a people under siege,” he said.
“We condemn the recent robbery of Maqula who was attacked while attending to a service delivery query in his ward.”
DA councillor Nicholas Nyathi said it was frustrating to debate crime when the city’s leadership was not even paying attention.
“As I’m sitting here looking at my government, the deputy mayor is on TikTok and [political head] for safety and security is on Facebook.
“We are debating after our councillor was shot.
“This is a sign of what has been happening to ordinary people of this metro.
“When people are being shot and are victims of violence, our leadership left and went overseas.”
He was referring to Van Niekerk’s recent trip to China.
Nyathi said the solution was not to declare a state of emergency, but for Van Niekerk to resign.
“When [Van Niekerk] was accused of crashing state vehicles and illegally appointing lawyers to pay for legal fees, we protected ourselves,” Nyathi said.
“We have inspired the criminals out there that lawlessness is correct.”
Van Niekerk is accused of hiring Boqwana Burns Incorporated in 2022 when his seat in council was declared vacant by now-suspended city manager Noxolo Nqwazi.
He racked up a legal bill of more than R551,586, prompting the Hawks to investigate after ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom opened a case with the police.
It is alleged Van Niekerk engaged the law firm amid a legal dispute with a faction within his party, the National Alliance.
Grootboom questioned how the city could combat crime when the mayor was under investigation by the Hawks for alleged fraud and corruption.
“The mayor said [when he took office] that change is coming and we have been waiting for more than two years but nothing is done.
“All we see is him going up and down to China with ratepayers’ money.
“We can’t be expected to fight crime if we are the first criminals in this council,” Grootboom said.
In response to the councillors, Van Niekerk said crime should not be politicised or treated as a subject for jokes.
“All of a sudden, we have a lot of criminologists in this room,” Van Niekerk said.
“Crime is bigger, including the 10-point plan we came into this government with.
“The issue we should be concerned about is how are we not making any arrests, people want to blame me for the killings happening, and I can’t make the connection.”
EFF councillor Khanya Ngqisha also clapped back at the city for not taking crime seriously.
“As the EFF we will submit a motion that will force this metro to request from the national sphere of government to declare a state of emergency in the city.
“I hope the speaker will not refer this to a standing committee and will come straight to council so it can resolve the matter.”
Ngqisha said the protection-fee phenomenon had been normalised because people had no confidence in the police.
Regarding his overseas trips, Van Niekerk said people kept talking about job creation but never asked about the investment they secured by going on the trips.
Acting city manager Mandla George said the city was working to fight crime.
He said 500 security cameras had been assessed in storage and would soon be installed in the city.
“There’s also the safer city project in the pipeline but the contract has not been awarded yet, we have escalated this to ensure it is prioritised.
“The safety and security department needs to get competent people to fill the funded vacancies urgently.
“But so far I’ve seen roadblocks taking place and we need more of these especially in our crime hotspot areas to help us fight this scourge.”
HeraldLIVE
Councillors battle it out on Nelson Mandela Bay’s crime issue
Heated debate sparked by recent kidnapping and wounding of ANC Ward 19 representative
Image: WERNER HILLS
Political parties clashed at a Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting on Tuesday, exchanging potshots when the issue of rampant crime was raised, with some councillors claiming residents were learning criminal behaviour from mayor Gary van Niekerk.
The war of words was sparked by the recent kidnapping, shooting and robbery of ANC Ward 19 councillor Gamalihleli Maqula while assisting a resident in Kwazakhele last week.
During the exchange, deputy mayor Babalwa Lobishe was accused of being on TikTok while safety and security political head Stag Mitchell was scrolling through Facebook posts.
Before the meeting, speaker Eugene Johnson referenced Maqula’s incident, stating that any attack on councillors was a direct assault on service delivery.
“We need to keep our communities safe and protect our councillors at all costs because they are the face of service delivery in our communities,” Johnson said.
“It is time to step up and mobilise communities to defend themselves.
“The police can’t do it on their own, our metro police at safety and security can’t do it.”
Johnson said she would engage with the city’s top political leadership to call a mass meeting for each cluster to talk about crime, vandalism and gangsterism.
In his opening remarks, Van Niekerk said crime continued to ravage communities with blood-chilling incidents reported daily.
“Our region and municipality have become the object of focus with media bulletins covering a range of incidents of brazen criminality and painting a picture of a people under siege,” he said.
“We condemn the recent robbery of Maqula who was attacked while attending to a service delivery query in his ward.”
DA councillor Nicholas Nyathi said it was frustrating to debate crime when the city’s leadership was not even paying attention.
“As I’m sitting here looking at my government, the deputy mayor is on TikTok and [political head] for safety and security is on Facebook.
“We are debating after our councillor was shot.
“This is a sign of what has been happening to ordinary people of this metro.
“When people are being shot and are victims of violence, our leadership left and went overseas.”
He was referring to Van Niekerk’s recent trip to China.
Nyathi said the solution was not to declare a state of emergency, but for Van Niekerk to resign.
“When [Van Niekerk] was accused of crashing state vehicles and illegally appointing lawyers to pay for legal fees, we protected ourselves,” Nyathi said.
“We have inspired the criminals out there that lawlessness is correct.”
Van Niekerk is accused of hiring Boqwana Burns Incorporated in 2022 when his seat in council was declared vacant by now-suspended city manager Noxolo Nqwazi.
He racked up a legal bill of more than R551,586, prompting the Hawks to investigate after ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom opened a case with the police.
It is alleged Van Niekerk engaged the law firm amid a legal dispute with a faction within his party, the National Alliance.
Grootboom questioned how the city could combat crime when the mayor was under investigation by the Hawks for alleged fraud and corruption.
“The mayor said [when he took office] that change is coming and we have been waiting for more than two years but nothing is done.
“All we see is him going up and down to China with ratepayers’ money.
“We can’t be expected to fight crime if we are the first criminals in this council,” Grootboom said.
In response to the councillors, Van Niekerk said crime should not be politicised or treated as a subject for jokes.
“All of a sudden, we have a lot of criminologists in this room,” Van Niekerk said.
“Crime is bigger, including the 10-point plan we came into this government with.
“The issue we should be concerned about is how are we not making any arrests, people want to blame me for the killings happening, and I can’t make the connection.”
EFF councillor Khanya Ngqisha also clapped back at the city for not taking crime seriously.
“As the EFF we will submit a motion that will force this metro to request from the national sphere of government to declare a state of emergency in the city.
“I hope the speaker will not refer this to a standing committee and will come straight to council so it can resolve the matter.”
Ngqisha said the protection-fee phenomenon had been normalised because people had no confidence in the police.
Regarding his overseas trips, Van Niekerk said people kept talking about job creation but never asked about the investment they secured by going on the trips.
Acting city manager Mandla George said the city was working to fight crime.
He said 500 security cameras had been assessed in storage and would soon be installed in the city.
“There’s also the safer city project in the pipeline but the contract has not been awarded yet, we have escalated this to ensure it is prioritised.
“The safety and security department needs to get competent people to fill the funded vacancies urgently.
“But so far I’ve seen roadblocks taking place and we need more of these especially in our crime hotspot areas to help us fight this scourge.”
HeraldLIVE
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