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Checked 27 October 2026

Where the facts in this claim come from

Every fact on the claim page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.

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What does the evidence show?

What was said

DA mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal spoke on 26 May 2026. He said SAPS figures for January-March 2026 showed 36 murders reported at Walmer police station. He said this put it among the top 20 murder stations in the country. He also said the metro police has 126 officers. He said a DA-led council would double that within 12 months.

DA-led NMB will establish Metro Police Precinct in Walmer to clamp down on crime (opens in a new tab)

Democratic Alliance. Published 26 May 2026.

Where to look: Header ('Issued by Retief Odendaal MPL - DA NMB Mayoral Candidate, 26 May 2026'); paragraph 5 (what was claimed, '... SAPS crime statistics for the three months from January to March 2026, which indicated that 36 murders were reported at the Walmer Police Station during this period. This places it amongst the top 20 murder stations in the country.'); paragraph 7 ('double the current complement of 126 metro police officers' in 12 months, over 500 by the end of the term)

Saved copy: kept on fileParty material

Why it is Unproven

Parliament's research unit names Walmer in its section on the top 30 murder stations. It shows 12 more murders there than a year before. But it gives no count or rank for Walmer. So the 36 murders and the top-20 rank could not be checked. The 126 officers matches what the metro itself said. In November 2025, Luyanda Lawu, the council's political head of safety, told Daily Maverick it had 126 metro police officers.

Crime statistics analysis: Quarter 4 (2025/26) (opens in a new tab)

Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Published 18 June 2026.

Where to look: Printed page 6 (PDF page 7), section 'The top 30 murder stations', paragraph 2: 'Walmer (EC) and Bishop Lavis (WC) each increased by 12 murders'; paragraph 1: Kwazakele (EC) recorded the highest number of murders nationally in quarter 4 (59). No station count for Walmer is given.

Saved copy: kept on fileOfficial record
DA vows to double Gqeberha's metro police within a year if residents vote for the party (opens in a new tab)

EWN. Published 10 July 2026.

Where to look: Paragraph 1 (DA vows to double the metro police within a year); paragraph 4 ('With a little more than 120 police officers, Nelson Mandela Bay's metro police is severely under-resourced'; EWN does not give its source)

Saved copy: kept on fileNews
Youth crime figures in Nelson Mandela Bay's northern areas only the tip of metro's crime iceberg (opens in a new tab)

Daily Maverick. Published 24 November 2025.

Where to look: Paragraph starting 'NMB mayoral committee member for safety and security Luyanda Lawu said'; the quote after it: 'For a population of 1.3 million people in Nelson Mandela Bay, we only have 126 metro police officers. That translates to only 18 officers per shift.'

Saved copy News