Latest news with #YusufCassim
Daily Maverick
21 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Eastern Cape cop back at work after pleading guilty to armed robbery, 12 more still on duty despite criminal records
A Nelson Mandela Bay police officer who pleaded guilty – in a disciplinary hearing – to charges of armed robbery, possession of stolen property and the possession of an unlicensed firearm has returned to work after a two-month suspension. The DA's Yusuf Cassim however said there were serious irregularities with the officer's disciplinary hearing. A police officer who was working in the child protection unit at the Mount Road Police station in Nelson Mandela Bay has been reinstated, although redeployed to a different police station, after pleading guilty on charges of armed robbery during a disciplinary hearing. This was confirmed by Eastern Cape MEC for Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha, in a written reply to the provincial legislature. Nqatha said the docket for the armed robbery case was opened in Stormsriver and that the criminal matter is still ongoing. He also confirmed that 12 police officers with criminal convictions are currently serving in the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the province, and 217 cases involving police officers are under investigation. Most of the convictions were for police officers helping prisoners escape. The cases included: A police officer at Mount Road SAPS was convicted of assault with the intent to do serious bodily harm. He has received a suspended sentence; An officer in Kareedouw was found guilty of fraud and fined R12,000 in court, of which R6,000 was suspended; An officer working at the Graaff Reinet SAPS was convicted of reckless and negligent driving and paid an admission-of-guilt fine; Officers in Paterson, Tsolo and Kirkwood have all been convicted of helping prisoners escape and received prison sentences of between 6 months and a year; and An officer in Mthatha paid an admission of guilt fine of R1,500 for fraud. The Democratic Alliance's Yusuf Cassim criticised the fact that 12 police officers with criminal convictions, and hundreds more facing criminal charges, are still active members of the Eastern Cape SAPS. 'Not only have these officers broken the law they swore to uphold, they also violated the trust of the residents they serve, some going so far as putting criminal elements back on the street in a province where you are more likely to be raped or murdered than anywhere else in the country,' he said. He said the officer from Mount Road SAPS accused of armed robbery had returned to duty this month, but was redeployed to Kinkelbos SAPS. 'The officer pleaded guilty in an internal disciplinary hearing to aggravated robbery, possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of a firearm, receiving a two-month suspension without pay. The criminal case against him remains ongoing.' He said the officer's disciplinary hearing was chaired by a captain despite the SAPS Discipline Regulations of 2016 requiring that an officer with the rank of brigadier or higher must chair the case. 'This breach raises serious questions about other disciplinary cases that have allowed convicted criminals to remain in positions where they are supposed to enforce the very laws they have been found guilty of breaking,' he said. 'Were their disciplinary hearings also chaired by junior officers? Were proper procedures followed before allowing these criminals to remain in the service? Who authorised these outcomes?' he asked. 'I will be writing to the National Commissioner to request a comprehensive review of all SAPS members with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges in the Eastern Cape, including an examination of the disciplinary processes followed in each case and whether these processes complied with national regulations,' he said.
The Herald
23-05-2025
- The Herald
Maintenance of city's public swimming pools should be a priority
For many in Nelson Mandela Bay's northern areas and townships in particular, public swimming pools offer the only entertainment and relief from the heat during our blistering summers. Yet many of the facilities in these areas have been vandalised and left to deteriorate, some to a point where they are now beyond repair. Take for instance the derelict pool in Schauderville which has been out of commission for years. During a recent site visit, public works & infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson called on Eastern Cape MEC Siphokazi Lusithi to relocate the pool to a new site, citing the facility's vandalised and irreparable state. Stripped of infrastructure and left derelict since the Covid-19 lockdown, the facility posed a direct threat to residents, particularly children, according to DA northern areas constituency head Yusuf Cassim, who formally requested the relocation in a letter to Macpherson's office. 'There is an urgent need to relocate the long-abandoned pool, which has become a hotspot for criminal activity, illegal dumping and gang violence,' he said. A new site — on land opposite the Moore Dyke sports precinct and owned by the provincial public works department — has already been identified. And now it is up to the relevant officials and authorities to act to ensure a suitable facility is erected for those in this area and its surrounds, those who cannot afford transport to and entry fees at more expensive facilities or the Bay's many beaches. Because our public pools provide a safe space — in the areas where they live — for our children and teens to play, stay active and avoid negative influences such as drugs and crime which are rife in these communities. In addition, in a country where nearly 30% of drownings occur in children under the age of 14, these pools offer a space in which to host swimming lessons, a much-needed life skill. So it is imperative that municipalities, working with the other necessary arms of government, prioritise building and maintaining public swimming pools in disadvantaged communities and that they do so in partnership with NGOs, private sponsors, schools and surrounding communities — all of whom will then have a vested interest in ensuring the safekeeping of these facilities. The Herald
The Herald
09-05-2025
- The Herald
Petition presented to parliament demanding action on gang violence in northern areas
Gang violence plaguing Nelson Mandela Bay's northern areas reached the national stage on Wednesday as a damning petition was presented to parliament's police portfolio committee, demanding urgent intervention to halt the bloodshed. The petition, spearheaded by DA MPL and constituency leader Yusuf Cassim, outlined the brutal toll of gang warfare in the region and called for a multi-pronged national response. Addressing the committee, Cassim asked for the deployment of elite detectives from across the country and the reinforcement of the Anti-Gang Unit. He also asked for crime intelligence capabilities to be expanded and an investment to be made in surveillance technologies like drones, CCTV and ShotSpotter systems. Senior SAPS officials, including police minister Senzo Mchunu, were present at the hearing, where Cassim detailed the grim statistics — more than 1,000 gang-related killings have been documented by Nelson Mandela Bay residents from 2019 to April 2025. In 2024 alone, there were 244 killings, with August 2024 marking the deadliest month ever recorded. In the 2023/2024 financial year, 148 gang-related shootings were reported — 114 in the northern areas — resulting in 62 deaths, 17 of them children. More than 82 people were injured in the same period, including 28 children. Between 2021 and 2023, the region suffered 361 gang-related shootings, with 319 occurring in the northern areas. These attacks left 180 dead — including 22 children — and injured 181 more. Attempted murder charges reached 227, the vast majority also in the northern areas. Yet despite this grim tally, arrests remain shockingly low. In the 2024/2025 financial year, only 19 arrests were made in 16 murder cases. The petition also requested that the portfolio committee conduct more frequent oversight visits and engage directly with affected communities. Committee chair Ian Cameron assured the hearing that the petition would be treated with the seriousness it demands. In response, the committee undertook to draft a formal report containing actionable recommendations. Once adopted, the report will be tabled in the National Assembly and carry the weight of a parliamentary resolution — binding on Mchunu to implement. 'This hearing was a milestone,' Cassim said. 'Now comes the test of follow-through. 'We will not rest until parliament's resolutions become tangible action in our communities. 'Section 12 of the constitution is clear: our people have the right to be free from all forms of violence. 'They deserve to feel safe in their own homes, on their streets, and in their schools.' The Herald
