Media Release: New Nyanga Police Station Brings Relief for Residents

Minister of Community Safety, Alan Winde, says today’s opening of the Samora Machel police station, as part of the Nyanga cluster, is a victory for the Western Cape Government, the local community and all residents of the province.

Minister Winde said: “Nyanga is synonymous with being the murder capital of the country. This station is long overdue. It is unacceptable that so many people first had to be killed in Nyanga – 1273 in the past five years alone, before the national government started to act. This area is a known hotspot, and has needed its own police station for many years.”

During the 2017/18 financial year, 308 people lost their lives to murder in Nyanga. Not only is this the highest in the country, but it is an increase of 9,6% on the previous year, and the highest since 2013. The historic under-resourcing of police in the area, which has seen a police to population ratio of 1 officer for every 628 residents, has had a devastating effect on the levels of crime in this province.

Minister Winde said: “We can all be proud of our efforts which brought about the establishment of this station. We need to continue putting pressure on the national government, especially the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, as he is fully aware of the province’s Policing Needs and Priorities, including our shortage of 4500 police officers.

The Minister must also inform us where these officers for the new station were sourced from, and if the station has the necessary resources required, including patrolling vehicles, to be an effective crime fighting service for the area.”

Minister Winde said: “I want to wish the station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Elliot Lingani, and all the police officers that will be based there, all the best as they take the fight to crime in this community. Their deployment will hopefully go a long way in addressing the high murder rate in this community and will help to create a #SaferWesternCape. I look forward to supporting them to ensure that the national Police Minister supplies the resources they need to combat crime in the area.”