Although strides have been made in combating crime, stock theft remains a major concern for stakeholders in the OR Tambo District Municipality, with alarming trends of gender-based violence (GBV) in the eastern part of the district.
These sentiments were shared during a stakeholder engagement session hosted by Community Safety MEC, Xolile Nqatha, in Mthatha on July 25.
The session was in response to a petition handed over to Nqatha during a march on September 9, 2024, where concerns about extortion, stock theft, and taxi violence were some of the emerging crimes highlighted in the district.
ANC Regional Secretary in OR Tambo, Vinny Tsita, one of the march organisers, said the march included civil society, the business fraternity, and political parties.
“Following the march, the police have been responding to crime aggressively, and there have been rare cases of extortion. We did not trust the police initially, but we see they have turned the corner. Medical specialists were leaving, accommodation owners and filling stations had closed down, but those services have now been restored.” Tsita noted a recent decline in taxi violence cases.
“There needs to be greater focus on stock theft. The thieves now forcefully take livestock with firearms from rightful owners. GBV remains a challenge, particularly in the eastern part of the region – the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality area. Additionally, measures need to tackle cash-in-transit heists. Crime knows no boundaries, and we must unite as a community to fight it,” Tsita added.
Another stakeholder, Xolile Macanda, representing the community of Ngqeleni, said livestock was being taken at gunpoint. He explained that young men from the Ngqeleni community were being recruited to steal cattle.
“We caught a young man who said he gets paid R1,000 per cow. He also revealed that he works for a businessman who owns a butchery.
“We are losing our livelihoods, and our health is deteriorating due to this scourge of livestock theft,” he said.
Despite the risks, Macanda mentioned that his community had established a night patrol organisation to curb the thefts and called for harsher sentences for those convicted of livestock theft.
Nqatha stated that with community support, criminal syndicates threatening communities could be defeated. He expressed gratitude to all who participated in the march and noted improved conditions in the aftermath.
“We approached the National Government to deploy additional resources in Mthatha and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. We also dispatched the National Intervention Unit (NIU) to combat extortion and gang activities. The multidisciplinary team has made progress in tackling crime, particularly against extortionists in Mthatha,” he said.
The police have continued proactive operations, and both communities and businesses are encouraged to collaborate with law enforcement to combat crime in the OR Tambo District.
“Crime demands a collective response. Once again, I commend the actions taken last year to march against crime. We urge everyone to set aside political affiliations and religious beliefs to unite in this fight. Crime is a societal issue requiring collective action,” Nqatha concluded.
