The stainless steel sculpture, known as 'Kite Boy', serves as a painful reminder of the number of children lost to gang violence in the northern areas of Nelson Mandela Bay. However, the sculpture outside the Helenvale Resource Centre also symbolises hope and upliftment for the youth and community. (Photo: Deon Ferreira) 
More than 1,800 children as young as 14 and young adults were arrested in Nelson Mandela Bay’s northern areas in the past year.
A shocking figure when taking into account that the majority of these 14- to 35-year-olds were not arrested for petty crimes, but for violence, drug-related incidents and a string of other serious offences.
Even more alarming is the fact that law enforcement on the ground in the gang-ridden neighbourhoods of Helenvale, Gelvandale, Schauderville and surrounding areas say these figures reflect only the tip of the iceberg, as arrests do not reflect to true scope of unsolved or unreported crimes in the affected region.
Political leaders in the metro are not shying away from the issue, and while they admit that there are many challenges, they also pledged that more resources would soon be allocated to address the issue, including possibly doubling the current number of metro police officers on the ground.
Following questions from the DA in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, the response from MEC for Community Safety Xolile Nqatha painted a bleak picture of the notorious northern areas of Gqeberha in Nelson Mandela Bay.
/file/attachments/2984/NA-crime-6_539800.jpg "Population density, poverty and various socioeconomic ills in suburbs such as Helenvale are just some of the contributing factors that have earned Nelson Mandela Bay’s northern areas a reputation of being among the city’s most dangerous and violent regions. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
The so-called northern areas refers to predominantly more impoverished communities stretching toward the northwestern region of Gqeberha, and includes neighbourhoods that fall under the Gelvandale, Bethelsdorp and Booysen Park policing regions.
Over 12 months leading up to October 2025, the police in these precincts arrested 1,868 people between the ages of 14 and 35.
Providing a further breakdown of the offences, the most arrests were made in terms of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, landing 444 young people behind bars.
The second most prevalent offence was common assault, resulting in 259 arrests.
Rounding out the top five offences were traffic offences (258), malicious damage to property (175), and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (142).
Other noteworthy offences, particularly related to gang violence in the area, included 22 arrests for murder, 33 cases of attempted murder, and 73 arrests for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
/file/attachments/2984/NA-crime-2_380518_e20e823063d69a43754ed9eb0436eb56.jpg "Police in Nelson Mandela Bay are fighting an uphill battle against drugs and violent crime in the city’s gang-ridden northern areas. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
Nqatha’s report also clarified that these figures only reflect the number of arrests made where the suspects were between the ages of 14 and 35. Cases where no arrests have been made were not included, and neither were incidents where the suspects were outside the requested age bracket.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police member attached to the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) said while youth crime was an ongoing challenge, the figures mentioned in the report were not a true reflection of the situation.
“Sure, 1,800 arrests sound like a lot, but what about all the murders without arrests? What about the rapes and sexual abuse that goes unreported? Or the incidents where victims don’t open cases because they are afraid or they go, ‘ag shame, he is only a kid’ – and then they let the culprit off the hook?
‘Real crime picture is scary’
“The real crime picture in the northern areas is scary, and I don’t think we even realise just how scary it is.”
He said in some instances arrests were made, detectives presented watertight cases to the court, but then witnesses or victims retracted statements or refused to testify. Later, they found out these key witnesses were intimidated or paid off.
“Then we also have issues with vehicles and other resources, which also has a huge impact on our effectiveness to actually fight crime.”
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DA MPL Yusuf Cassim, who posed the initial questions to Nqatha in October, said the figures reflected the impact street gangs were having on young people in these neighbourhoods.
“These figures speak of an entrenched criminal ecosystem that continues to draw young people into its grip. This data shows current interventions are not working, and that far stronger, targeted action is required to disrupt gangsterism and protect the province’s youth.”
Campaigns
The interventions Cassim referred to included crime prevention and school safety campaigns launched by various government departments.
“I put forward a petition to Parliament that includes specialised anti-gang policing that is visible, intelligence-driven, and permanently deployed in high-risk zones. It requires robust partnerships with credible NGOs, structured after-school programmes and direct support for at-risk youth before they are recruited.”
Cassim said while these interventions were endorsed by Parliament, they were yet to be implemented, and more specialised anti-gang members, as well as better crime intelligence, had not been deployed.
He intends to write to the parliamentary police committee to request a resolution that will compel the Minister of Police and police management to give feedback on the implementation of these interventions, with clear deadlines and measurable commitments.
/file/attachments/2984/NA-crime-7_743069.jpg "Despite regular police operations and arrests, crime in the northern areas continues unabated. While more than 1,800 young people were arrested over a 12-month period, this number does not reflect the true number of crimes committed. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
NMB mayoral committee member for safety and security Luyanda Lawu said it was no secret that crime across the city, particularly in the northern areas, was a major concern. However, he said additional resources to bolster law enforcement efforts were in the pipeline.
“From a municipal perspective, the honest truth is we are doing what we can, but we are lacking certain crucial resources on the ground.
“For a population of 1.3 million people in Nelson Mandela Bay, we only have 126 metro police officers. That translates to only 18 officers per shift. And sometimes those officers are deployed on special operations, leaving little to no one to do patrols and crime prevention.”
He said NMB mayor Babalwa Lobishe had asked the budget and treasury directorate to prioritise safety and security and allocate more funds towards law enforcement resources, including additional members and specialised equipment.
Plans to boost metro police
According to Lawu, the standing committee on safety and security is hoping to recruit 180 new metro police officers. If the matter is approved at a mayoral committee meeting on Wednesday, it will be tabled at the next city council meeting.
“In addition, we would also like to propose another metro police precinct, possibly in Kwazakele or New Brighton, to further bolster our forces,” Lawu said.
More specific to the northern areas, Lawu said they hoped to have ShotSpotter back up and running, an early warning and triangulation system that shows law enforcement where shots have been fired.
The technology showed good results, but has long inoperative due to a deadlock between the municipality and the service provider.
“The contract is standing still because the service provider wants to be paid up front; however, the Municipal Finance Management Act does not allow that. So if we cannot negotiate a deal with the current service provider, we will have to appoint a new one,” Lawu said.
In addition, more tech in the shape of an advanced security camera network, and possibly even drones, could be deployed in the city in the near future, according to Lawu. DM