Summerstrand murder and robbery shakes Nelson Mandela Bay tourism hotspot

A Nelson Mandela Bay residential, student and tourism hub finds itself in the spotlight over serious safety concerns after a spate of violent incidents that has left residents on edge.

In less than two weeks, three people have been stabbed at their residences in the same street in Summerstrand in what seems to be a series of botched robberies. One of the victims, a 23-year-old student at Nelson Mandela University (NMU), was fatally wounded.

During the same period, NMU also announced that it would be “remodelling” its security protocols to improve the safety of staff and students on campus.

Ironically, the latest incident, in the early hours of Friday morning, which saw a resident survive several stab wounds while fighting off a home invader, happened only hours before the same neighbourhood was a hive of police activity as SAPS launched its Safer Festive Season campaign at Gqeberha’s beachfront.

‘Extremely concerned’

“I am extremely concerned with the recent fatal attack of a student at the top of Admiralty Way and [Friday morning’s] break-in and stabbing at the lower end of the same street,” Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan said after the latest incident. 

Tappan, who sits on the municipality’s safety and security portfolio committee, said they had been pushing for the city to increase the budget allocated to the Metro Police so additional staff could be appointed.

“Drive-in crime is a major concern. The culprits hit and run, and it is difficult to identify the difference between e-hailing vehicles, of which there are plenty, and suspicious vehicles.” 

He alleged that increased vagrant activity along the beachfront dunes also contributed to increased vandalism and crime in the area.

Vicious attacks

On 13 October, two female students were confronted by an unknown man at their off-campus student residence in Admiralty Way, about 3km from the NMU campus. According to reports, the all-female accommodation houses about 12 students.

Shortly after 7pm, the suspect allegedly attacked a 23-year-old student, stabbing her multiple times. Alerted by her housemate’s screams, a 20-year-old student reportedly went to see what was happening and suffered stab wounds at the hands of the assailant.

According to police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, the attacker fled with two cellphones and a laptop.

The youngest of the two victims was taken to hospital for treatment, while the other died on the scene.

On Friday morning, at the opposite end of the same street, a resident was allegedly woken up around 3am and was confronted by two home invaders in his bedroom. A scuffle ensued during which the resident suffered multiple stab wounds before managing to press a panic button. This prompted a quick response from Atlas Security operatives and caused the assailants to flee the scene.

Initial reports from Atlas Security indicated that the culprits gained access to the house through a bathroom window after bending open the burglar bars.

The victim was taken to hospital. His condition is unknown at this stage. 

Fears for safety

Neighbours in Admiralty Way said theft and break-ins were not uncommon in their area, and they had heard about the occasional student being accosted while walking to and from campus. However, violent incidents like these have left them fearing for their safety.

NMU student Tara Williams (20) lives in a flat near campus and once often walked to lectures to save on fuel and get some exercise.

“But in the last few weeks, I just couldn’t get myself to do it. I’m just too scared. Besides feeling unsafe, this whole scenario is putting a dent in my already tight budget, because my fuel expenses have gone up.

“Even at home, I feel uneasy. I triple-check every lock and window before going to bed, and even then, the slightest noise wakes me up instantly.”

Similarly, André Nel, a resident near the property where the student was killed, said he has spent a small fortune on security upgrades around his home in the past two weeks.

“I’ve been considering cameras and security beams around the house for some time, but this incident just cemented that decision.

“But it’s not like I have a couple thousand rand just lying around. These upgrades came out of my savings for my family’s December holiday. But if the choice is between an extra week at the beach and the safety of my wife and kids, then I guess the decision is easy,” Nel said.

On Saturday night, Atlas Security reported a home invasion on Burger Street, Summerstrand. The burglars broke a second-floor bathroom window and ground off the burglar bars before entering the house.

University protection plan

Nelson Mandela University (NMU) is changing the protection plan at all its campuses, including the two in Summerstrand. In a statement released last week, NMU said it would implement new measures and protocols for its on-campus security.

Spokesperson Zandile Ngwendu said the decision came after an extensive review of challenges the institution had faced over an extended period, which included “declining service efficiency, significant operational risks and increasing costs”.

“To address growing concern in this area, the council has now resolved to outsource aspects of the protection services function, ensuring that affected employees are transferred to a new security service provider on equal or better terms of employment, and with their legal rights protected,” Ngwendu said.

“Quite simply, the current model negatively impacts on the operations and viability of the university.”

She said these steps were central to a strategic shift to enhance safety and security for staff, students and visitors on all campuses. They would include the integration of modern technologies, professional crime prevention expertise and faster incident response.

SAPS reaction

Councillor Tappan said the SAPS would increase staffing as well as shifts along the beachfront, at least for its upcoming festive season operations. Private security, neighbourhood watches and local businesses are also lending a helping hand to try to fill the gap left by limited police resources.

“Recently, the Business Chamber’s beachfront sector put up an additional 50 solar lights along dark walkways, and additional cameras have also been activated,” Tappan said. 

While the police’s Safer Festive Season campaign is focused mainly on increased visibility and law enforcement along the beachfront for the upcoming holidays, the launch included a handover of 131 new vehicles, shared between policing districts throughout the Eastern Cape.

Nelson Mandela Bay, which has long been labelled as one of the country’s crime hotspots, was allocated 28 of the new vehicles to supplement its resources across units. DM