Ivor Blumenthal mugging: Is Gqeberha crime worse than the rest of South Africa?  

A social media post by the victim of a mugging has again highlighted the dangers of living in South Africa.

Prominent businessman Ivor Blumenthal was cut on the hand during an altercation in an area considered to be more upmarket than the rest of Gqeberha.

In a video posted on social media by Blumenthal, he made several claims about the city formerly known as Port Elizabeth and attacked its tourist destination credentials.  

Tourists unsafe in Gqeberha?

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed to The Citizen that Blumenthal was the victim of a mugging around 7pm on 19 September.

Two suspects attacked Blumenthal and his female companion, robbing the woman of her necklace and stealing the man’s phone.

ALSO READ: ‘Good benchmark for China’: Plans for Gqeberha plant in top gear, says automotive boss

Days after the incident, Blumenthal described extortion from car guards, medical staff warning of rampant crime and a police force resigned to their circumstances.

“To locals in South Africa thinking about going to Port Elizabeth on holiday, or in fact to foreigners wanting to come to South Africa to see the country, steer clear of Port Elizabeth,” Blumenthal warned in a video shared on social media.

“You will either lose your property or lose your life. The bottom line is Port Elizabeth does not deserve your patronage,” he continued.

Crime in Gqeberha vs the rest of South Africa

Police confirmed a case of common robbery had been opened at Humewood Police Station.

In the crime stats released by police for the first quarter of 2024/25, no police stations from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (NMMM) appeared in the top 30 stations with a high prevalence of common robbery.

However, stations in the Cape Town District appeared 11 times out of the 30 highest stations listed.

Number one on the list was Cape Town Central Police Station, located in the heart of the Cape Town CBD, with 307 cases of common robbery registered between April and June.

^{The 15 stations listed in the top 30 with the highest number of common robbery cases. Picture: Saps}

When it comes to murder, Cape Town has seven of the top 10 stations in the country with the highest murder rate.

The station with the highest number of registered murder cases was Nyanga, located 20km from the tourist mecca, the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront.

Gauteng, the economic hub of the country, features prominently in the rape statistics. One-third of the top 30 stations coming from Gauteng, as opposed to three each for the Western and Eastern Cape

Those 10 stations in Gauteng registered 379 rape cases between April and June.

Local councillor speaks up

NMMM Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan came to the defence of his city, stressing how tourism ran through Gqeberha’s veins.  

Sharing his sympathies for Blumenthal, he elaborated on the steps being taken in the city to alleviate crime.

ALSO READ: Gqeberha doctor kidnapped from surgery, patients robbed

He listed a R600 000 investment by businesses in installing CCTV cameras along the beachfront and the initiation of another R8.5 million CCTV camera installation by the mayor’s office.

The city has also pushed for beach safety units, appointed 15 tourism ambassadors and held two police imbizo’s with the public.

“There are several other items on the agenda, including a neighbourhood watch support policy, drone technology, advanced AI control rooms, and additional staff and infrastructure,” stated Tappan.

“I know the above sounds like a lot, and you may wonder how it will affect things on the ground. But this is how policy is made – by applying enough pressure to create change,” he concluded.