MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Leaders of the greater KwaNonqaba community resolved to personally invite police minister Bheki Chele to visit them and to speak with the aggrieved residents who have vowed to continue their fight against the ongoing dealing in and distribution of drugs in their area.

This followed the community's violent protest from 24 February to 27 February, against foreign nationals especially, suspected of selling drugs in the greater KwaNonqaba area.

The station commissioner of the KwaNonqaba police, Lieut-Col Azisa Madongana, and chair of the KwaNonqaba Community Policing Forum, Edgar Ntebe, last week again met community leaders in a follow-up engagement to provide feedback on their efforts to arrange for police minister Bheki Cele to visit the area.

At an initial meeting with the community leaders on 28 February, the community impressed upon Col Madongana the need for the police minister to personally address the issue of foreign nationals suspected of selling drugs to members of the community, even to minor children.

They also asked that the seemingly endless influx of foreign nationals into Mossel Bay be addressed. The community leaders asked that a meeting with the police minister should be arranged ahead of the national election.

Despite a letter written by Col Madongana to the police provincial command to facilitate such a meeting, the community members were informed that they instead had to personally liaise with the office of the minister of police to request a visit.

The leadership then chose a working group to formalise the written, urgent invitation to the minister's office.

The community expressed commitment to rid KwaNonqaba of people who are dealing and distributing drugs. Drugs are evidently still being sold openly in public spaces, despite the community having destroyed the shops and other premises where drugs were allegedly being peddled by foreign nationals especially.

At the meeting with Col Madongana and Ntebe, the leadership reiterated their commitment to work with the police in the fight against crime and not to take matters into their own hands, however, they insisted the community would continue to act against alleged drug dealers and premises where community suspected drugs were being sold.

"We want the minister to come here to address our issues," community leaders insisted at the meeting that concluded amicably.

Community Policing Forum chair Edgar Ntebe, KwaNonqaba police spokesperson Sgt Kapp and KwaNonqaba Police Station commissioner Lieut-Col Asiza Madongana at the meeting. Photo: Nickey le Roux

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