Ivor Blumenthal assault: Is Gqeberha worse than the rest of South Africa?

A social media post from an assault victim has once again highlighted the dangers of life in South Africa.

Prominent businessman Ivor Blumenthal was injured in the hand during an altercation in an area considered more upscale than the rest of Gqeberha.

In a video posted to social media by Blumenthal, he made several claims about the city formerly known as Port Elizabeth and attacked its credentials as a tourist destination.

Are tourists not safe in Gqeberha?

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed The citizen that Blumenthal was the victim of an attack around 7 p.m. on September 19.

Two suspects attacked Blumenthal and his partner, robbing the woman of her necklace and stealing the man’s phone.

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Days after the incident, Blumenthal described extortion of car guards, medical staff warning of rampant crime and police forces resigned to their situation.

“For residents of South Africa planning to go to Port Elizabeth on vacation, or indeed foreigners wanting to come to South Africa to see the country, avoid Port Elizabeth,” Blumenthal warned in a video shared on social networks.

“Either you will lose your property or you will lose your life. Ultimately, Port Elizabeth does not deserve your patronage,” he continued.

Crime in Gqeberha compared to the rest of South Africa

Police confirmed a case of ordinary theft had been opened at Humewood police station.

In the crime statistics released by the police for the first quarter of 2024/25, no police stations in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (NMMM) were among the top 30 police stations with a high prevalence of common thefts.

However, Cape Town District stations appeared 11 times out of the 30 highest stations listed.

Number one on the list was Cape Town Central Police Station, located in the heart of Cape Town’s CBD, with 307 cases of robbery recorded between April and June.

The 15 resorts listed in the top 30 with the highest number of common theft cases. Photo: SAPS

When it comes to murders, Cape Town has seven of the top ten resorts in the country with the highest murder rate.

The resort with the highest number of recorded murder cases was Nyanga, located 20km from the tourist mecca, the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront.

Gauteng, the country’s economic hub, figures prominently in rape statistics. A third of the top 30 stations come from Gauteng, compared to three each from the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

These 10 stations in Gauteng recorded 379 rape cases between April and June.

A local elected official speaks

NMMM Ward 2 councilor Sean Tappan spoke out in defense of his town, highlighting how tourism runs through Gqeberha’s veins.

Sharing his sympathies for Blumenthal, he explained the steps the city is taking to reduce crime.

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He listed an amount of R600 000 invested by companies in the installation of CCTV cameras along the waterfront and the launch of another R8.5 million CCTV camera installation by the office of the mayor.

The city also pushed for the establishment of security units on the beaches, appointed fifteen tourism ambassadors and organized two police imbizo with the public.

“There are several other items on the agenda, including a policy to support neighborhood watch, drone technology, advanced control rooms for AI, and additional staff and infrastructure,” Tappan said.

“I know the above sounds like a lot, and you may be wondering how it will affect things on the ground. But that’s how policy is made – by applying enough pressure to create change,” he concluded.