A vandalised CCTV post at Boxer shop NU1 Motherwell. The project costed the Municipality multimillions of rands, but the cameras were vandalized.
By Joseph Chirume
Qgeberha
Criminals in Nelson Mandela Bay will soon feel the heat of technology following a confirmation that a Democratic Alliance sponsored Council motion to establish a crime watch WhatsApp platform in the Metro will be implemented.
The WhatsApp platform is expected to bolster the fight against the scourge of crime that is rampant in the Metro. The scourge of crime in the region has surged to an extent that stakeholders have been clamouring for communities to be vigilant while at the same time appealing to the government to declare a state of emergence in the Metro.
Nelson Mandela Bay DA Councillor spokesperson for Safety and Security, Cllr Jason Grobbelaar issued a statement on 21 October 2025 revealing that his party’s motion to install Nelson Mandela Bay’s ground-breaking emergency WhatsApp line embraces technology that could save lives.
Cllr Grobbelaar said following their proposals to explore the implementation of a WhatsApp emergency line in the Metro, a report now confirms it will be implemented adding that this report was added to the agenda for the upcoming Safety and Security Portfolio Committee meeting of 23 October 2025.
Cllr Grobbelaar said, “We submitted our motion to the Speaker of Council on 8 October 2025, which highlighted how WhatsApp technology is a step forward in modernising and improving municipal emergency response services and could save lives and protect our infrastructure across the Metro.
“Currently, residents can only report emergencies by making a voice call to the municipality’s central emergency number (041 585 1555). This number connects to Fire Services, Traffic Services, Metro Police, Metro Security and Disaster Management. However, this method relies on the caller having available airtime or access to a functioning landline.
“This limitation excludes many residents, particularly in low-income communities who often do not have available airtime to make a phone call.”
Cllr Grobbelaar added that the WhatsApp platform the DA proposed offers the following key benefits:
- Text-based emergency reports without requiring airtime.
- The ability to share real-time location pins, ensuring quick and accurate response times.
- An option to send images or videos of incidents, providing authorities with immediate context.
“The WhatsApp line will allow residents to report emergencies more easily, especially in situations where voice communication is not possible or practical. It also enables faster identification of exact locations, which is often a challenge during emergencies in unfamiliar or unmarked areas.
“For instance, residents will soon be able to report a drunk driver by simply taking a photo or short video, including the registration number, and sending it with a pin location to the WhatsApp line – or better yet, a live location if you happen to drive behind the person.”
In the motion, the DA had presented that, “…residents often encounter emergencies on incidents, such as vandalism or infrastructure damage while away from their homes. In such instances, accurately describing a location without a known street address can be challenging and time-consuming. For example, when a resident drives past a municipal substation late at night and notices suspicious activity, the lack of an identifiable address makes reporting very difficult.”
