DA gives Ramaphosa 14 days to send army to Gqeberha

By Anita Dangazele

• Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia admitted in January 2026 that police in Gqeberha are not able to defeat the gangs.

• President Cyril Ramaphosa announced army deployment to the Western Cape and Gauteng but did not mention Gqeberha in his speech.

The Democratic Alliance joined angry residents outside Gelvandale Police Station in Gqeberha on Monday. They handed over a memorandum to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia.

The party wants Ramaphosa to deploy the army to support police in the Northern Areas. It has given him and Cachalia 14 days to respond.

In his State of the Nation Address last week, Ramaphosa said soldiers would be sent to the Western Cape and Gauteng to deal with gang violence. He did not mention Gqeberha.

Democratic Alliance Eastern Cape chairperson Yusuf Cassim said the community feels ignored. “What makes the President’s snub even harder to swallow is that Acting Minister Cachalia visited Nelson Mandela Bay in January this year and said the gang violence in the Northern Areas mirrored the crisis in the Western Cape,” he said.

During that visit in January 2026, Cachalia admitted police were struggling. “I do not believe that we are currently in a position to defeat these gangs,” he said.

The memorandum calls for short term military support. It also demands that Cachalia carry out resolutions adopted by Parliament in July last year.

Those resolutions followed a petition submitted by Cassim. They instructed the South African Police Service to fix the collapse of the Anti Gang Unit and Crime Intelligence in Nelson Mandela Bay.

In December 2025, the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature adopted Cassim’s motion to set up a permanent 24 hour Joint Operations Centre. The centre would bring together the South African Police Service, Metro Police, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and the National Prosecuting Authority.

Cassim said there has been no action despite ongoing killings.

The office of Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has also called for urgent intervention. Provincial spokesperson Sonwabo Mbananga told the Daily Maverick the violence had reached alarming levels.

“The situation in the northern areas of Gqeberha is extremely serious,” he said.

Pictured above: Democratic Alliance leaders handing over the memorandum to Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner Major General Vuyisile Ncata at Gelvandale Police Station in Gqeberha on Monday.

Image source: Supplied