-Ekurhuleni is facing a surge in murders and kidnappings over the last three months
-The DA is launching Ekurhuleni After Dark to combat the rising crime rates
-This entails partnering with the community to identify safety hazards and reporting them to the responsible municipal department, demanding urgent action
The DA is launching Ekurhuleni After Dark, a community-driven initiative to expose and fix broken streetlights, dangerous pedestrian routes and neglected public spaces that leave residents vulnerable to violent criminals after dark.
This is an online portal to share service delivery failures that are making areas unsafe.
As more women’s bodies are discovered across Ekurhuleni, with 407 murders and 608 kidnappings recorded in just three months and kidnappings in Kempton Park surging by 58%, urgent action is needed to confront the violent crime crisis affecting our communities.
Behind these numbers are grieving families, women afraid to walk, and hardworking residents forced to travel through dark streets.
The collapse of basic service delivery is worsening an already dangerous situation and neglecting an important part of crime prevention. When streetlights don’t work, criminals exploit the darkness to ambush residents. Overgrown grass, abandoned buildings and neglected pedestrian routes create places where criminals can hide, leaving residents exposed to violent crimes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that municipalities would have 60 days to identify broken streetlights and other safety hazards, followed by 90 days to address urgent dangers or include them in funded plans.
President Ramaphosa must know that the people of Ekurhuleni cannot afford to wait 60 days for ANC crooks in the City to identify dangers they face every night.
Through Ekurhuleni After Dark, we will work with residents to audit high-crime areas and document broken streetlights, unsafe pedestrian routes, and neglected public spaces.
We invite every resident to participate in this initiative by reporting broken streetlights and unsafe areas at EkurhuleniAfterDark.da.org.za
We will consolidate these reports, publish our findings, identify the responsible municipal departments, and demand urgent repairs with clear deadlines.
A DA-led Ekurhuleni will work to improve street lighting in high-risk areas and public transport routes, design safer pedestrian spaces, fix and professionalise the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department, and partner with local crime-fighting heroes like Community Policing Forums and Neighbourhood Watches.
We will also fight cable theft and vandalism that destroy the infrastructure residents depend on.
We refuse to accept an Ekurhuleni where criminals own the streets after sunset and law-abiding residents are prisoners in their own homes.
Ekurhuleni After Dark is about turning residents’ concerns into action and ensuring that dangerous public spaces can no longer be ignored.
Residents deserve a government that takes their safety seriously. Residents have the power to vote out the chaos and demand safer streets, working lights, and a municipality that delivers.