Ndwedwe residents call for rural safety ahead of SONA

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivering his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall.

The community of Ndwedwe, north of Durban, is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritise the safety of rural communities amid concerns over escalating crime.

As Ramaphosa is expected to deliver his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, the community says it feels neglected.

Traditional leader Induna Phumlani Ngcobo of the Enkumbanyuswa Tribal Authority says they convened an urgent community meeting with the police in December last year to discuss these concerns.

“Here at Ndwedwe, we are a very disadvantaged area. Unemployment is very high and struggling is part of life, but the issue of crime is a major setback to the community. We think a mobile police station will be a solution or the increase in the number of police in the area can be a solution as Ndwedwe is very vast. I think the issue of mobile stations must be increased and it can bring more solutions to issue of crime,” says says Ngcobo.

Meanwhile, Criminologist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Professor Nirmala Gopal suggests the provision of satellite police stations and improved communication, as a solution to fighting crime in rural communities like Ndwedwe.

“Let’s ensure that we have a police station, even if it’s a satellite police station. Let’s make sure towers and service providers and lines of communication are enhanced in these areas. I think it is going to be the best way in which we are going to allow the rural communities to feel like a part of the bigger South Africa. I think at this point in time, they feel socially and economically excluded,” says Gopal.