Police not ready to combat ‘growing gangs’ — Cachalia

‘I do not believe that we are currently in a position to defeat these gangs.”

While acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia believes the police are making a “valiant effort”, and certain developments within law enforcement could pay dividends in the fight against violent gangs, he did not mince his words when he said they are losing the fight against organised crime syndicates.

Speaking after a series of stakeholder engagements in Nelson Mandela Bay on Wednesday, Cachalia said a similar pattern is emerging between the gang-related killing sprees in the Western and Eastern Cape.

“These cartels are growing in influence, wealth and power. They are taking on an increasingly transnational character.

“This is not a challenge that is unique to South Africa. The globalisation of organised crime is now visiting our shores.”

He added that there is increasing evidence for how syndicates have infiltrated law enforcement agencies, and said growing cartels present new challenges that will require the police to evolve.

A week ago, eight people were gunned down in a shebeen in Philippi East in what the police and residents believe was a targeted killing linked to an ongoing extortion racket. This was just one of many incidents adding to the rising death toll of gang violence on the Cape Flats.

Read more: Cape Town’s townships beset by violence, murder and fear as extortionists tighten chokehold

In November, Eastern Cape community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha responded to questions in the provincial legislature pertaining to young people involved in crime in Nelson Mandela Bay’s gang-ridden northern areas.

Over 12 months, ending in October 2025, 1,868 people between the ages of 14 and 35 were arrested. The cases included 22 murders, 33 attempted murders, 73 incidents of unlawful possession of a firearm and 444 drug-related charges. The vast majority of these cases were believed to be linked to organised gangs.

Read more: Youth crime figures in Nelson Mandela Bay's northern areas only the tip of metro’s crime iceberg

“We certainly have our work cut out for us,” Cachalia said.

He said that while the establishment of a specialised Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) was a step in the right direction and that these officers are making “a valiant effort” in the fight against criminal syndicates, this cannot be the sum total of the police’s response.

While it seems his biggest concerns revolved around organised crime and violent street gangs, the minister said many other challenges were raised by various public representatives throughout his public engagements on Wednesday.

He said his department will revisit a cooperation agreement between the provincial government and Nelson Mandela Bay, facilitated by his predecessor, in September 2024. The agreement sought to improve community-driven law enforcement, facilitate better resource sharing between law enforcement agencies, municipal entities, civil society and the private business sector, and implement new strategies and technologies to bolster “traditional policing methods”.

Cachalia said strides are being made to revive community policing forums, as well as the Crime Prevention Wardens programme, across the country. He also called on each police precinct to formulate a community safety plan to identify and address key challenges in each area.

Accountability would also be localised, and station commanders would be called upon to answer for any successes and failures within their precincts.

However, asked about recent reports of resource shortages at specialised policing units in Nelson Mandela Bay, including the AGU, Flying Squad and K9 Unit, Cachalia did not provide answers.

Read more: Parliamentary oversight visit reveals shocking state of Nelson Mandela Bay’s elite police units

He conceded that the issue had been raised by an “aspirant mayor”, and made tongue-in-cheek comments about politicking ahead of the local government elections, but he did not provide any clear indication of what could be done to address the shortages.

The aspirant mayor in question, the DA’s Retief Odendaal, had written to Cachalia in September 2025, posing several questions about crime in the metro and reports that were adopted in the National Assembly but never implemented.

Read more: Acting police minister to visit Nelson Mandela Bay while key units struggle with resources

Following Cachalia’s engagements, Odendaal said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the minister’s visit and said he has established a line of communication between himself and the acting minister’s office.

“A lot was discussed, some things were put in writing and it seems to me like the minister is taking some steps in the right direction,” Odendaal said.

However, he said this does not solve the immediate challenges the police are facing.

“We’ve been told that some police officers have to buy wiper blades and tyres for police vehicles out of their own pockets, which is totally unacceptable. Unfortunately, resource shortages are not unique to the police in our metro.

“Then you have local government officials making bold claims about security camera systems and technology like ShotSpotter, which are currently non-operational. They are dropping the ball,” Odendaal added.

He agreed with Cachalia that more needs to be invested into community policing initiatives, and suggested that neighbourhood watch patrollers be trained, through the municipality, as qualified peace officers.

“We also feel it is our responsibility to keep the ministry accountable, to follow up on the promises made and to ensure that services are delivered,” Odendaal said.

While the minister did not elaborate on a shortage of police resources, Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe intimated that the bulk of their discussions with Cachalia had centred on equipping specialised units.

“The last time the minister was here the National Intervention Unit was deployed and several cases were uncovered.

“And we are hopeful that from the closed sessions the minister heard us loudly in terms of resourcing the AGU, and other units, so that they are equipped to attend to crime.”

She said the police response time to incidents was an ongoing frustration which they raised with the minister, but she also believes that relooking and implementing the cooperative agreement, and increasing human resources from both the police and municipality’s side, will yield positive results. DM