DA says ANC’s plan to remove Trollip as mayor will hand PE ‘back to criminals’

In a response to an opposition motion to have Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip removed in a motion of no confidence, the DA has said this will undermine its fight against crime.

Council speaker Jonathan Lawack turned down the parties’ petition to debate the motion on Friday.

In a statement, the DA’s Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga said DA-led coalition government in the metro had in the past two years made “good on its promise to deliver a safer City, through the establishment of a Metro Police Department, to the long-suffering residents of Nelson Mandela Bay”.

They alleged the ANC was undermining the safety of city residents through the latest attempt to oust Trollip.

“Any opposition party that seeks to hand power back to the ANC seeks to advance a programme that will bring back a state of criminality and corruption.

“The ANC dragged its feet for seven years before rushing an illegal metro police service into existence in May 2016. Minimum qualifications, basic education and criminal credentials for metro police officers were overlooked in a step that appeared to have violated Chapter 12 of the Police Services Act,” alleged Bhanga.

He listed the following achievements of his party in the fight against crime.

• Over the past six months there was a 11% drop in gang-related crimes in Helenvale and surrounds in the Northern Areas of NMB;
• The metro police service boasts 135 fully trained officers;
• The metro police service has attended to over 25 000 crime fighting interactions;
• The Shot-spotter technology installed in Helenvale also proved to be a great success. Within 90 days of its installation, gunshots were reduced by 90%;
• A ghost squad has been formed within the metro police. This squad makes use of unmarked vehicles to patrol areas where people are often found to be drinking and driving; and
• In addition to the main metro police office in Port Elizabeth, satellite stations were established in KwaNobuhle and Bethelsdorp.

He said: “The ANC wants to return criminals to the streets of NMB to steal the city and terrorise our communities. Two of their own councillors were recently found guilty of criminal offences. They cannot be trusted with the safety of NMB.”