Hundreds of Wild Coast residents marched to the Ngqeleni police station on Thursday, complaining about high levels of crime in the Mankosi administrative area, which includes Mdumbi and Mthatha Mouth.
The residents said the police were failing them as crime was chasing away visitors and harming tourism, which was the main source of income in the area.
They said they feared that tourists would avoid the region. Even accommodation owners had left in fear for their lives.
“The Mdumbi area and Mthatha Mouth have been plagued by crime and serious violent crime for several years and the apparent lack of willingness or capability of the local police to properly investigate and tackle this has severely affected the livelihoods and lifestyle of community members in what was once a safe and relaxed rural community that also appealed to tourists,” protest leader Bonginkosi Notshana said.
Mqanduli station commander Colonel Sibusiso Qashani, who had a one-hour-long briefing with protest leaders, accepted the memorandum of grievances and briefed them on plans to curb crime in the area.
Resident Sibingile Mesizo said the lack of police support was placing them in a dangerous position.
“We plead with the police to do what they are mandated to do ... We demand urgent police attention to the escalating crime crisis.”
He said their communities had endured relentless and severe criminal activities, including violent attacks, ambushes, shootings and robbery of people at gunpoint.
There were also violent attacks on residents in their homes, a surge in burglaries and break-ins, particularly in cottages, extortion cases and theft and hijacking of vehicles without any arrests.
“Despite these incidents being reported, there has been no visible intervention or resolution from the police,” Notshana said.
“There is a severe lack of communication about investigations, and to date we are unaware of any arrests being made.
“This absence of accountability has left our communities vulnerable and without hope for safety.”
The community demanded the immediate establishment of a satellite police station in the Mdumbi-Mankosi area to address the immediate safety concerns, increased police presence over the festive season, regular police patrols with mounted police stationed in Mankosi to safeguard guests and locals and immediate arrests and accountability.
Notshana said: “We demand immediate arrests ... We cannot allow our children to grow up in fear, nor can we continue to suffer the socioeconomic consequences of unchecked crime.
“The safety of our Wild Coast communities is of paramount importance.”
Police had not responded to the Dispatch’s inquiries by the time of publication.
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