‘DYING SQUAD’: Flying Squad’s wings clipped — no wheels for Nelson Mandela Bay rapid response cops
The Flying Squad is supposed to be Nelson Mandela Bay’s rapid response unit. Instead, its members have no operational vehicles and are sitting on the sidelines.
The Flying Squad, once the elite rapid response team of Nelson Mandela Bay's police force, now finds itself without operational vehicles, a situation that has worsened over the past nine months. A parliamentary oversight visit in November 2025 revealed the unit's dire lack of resources, with only a single-cab bakkie operational among its three BMWs, a double-cab bakkie, and a single-cab bakkie.
Since then, the vehicle situation has deteriorated further, with members reporting no reliable vehicles for months at a time. This lack of vehicles has led to a significant decline in morale, with members feeling underappreciated and their work undervalued. Despite their efforts, they are often told to stay within their designated roles and cannot deploy due to a lack of vehicles.
The police have acknowledged the concerns but declined to provide information on the matter, citing potential negative impacts on policing operations.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
