DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis will on Friday spearhead what is anticipated to be the largest anti-crime demonstration in Nelson Mandela Bay’s recent history.

The mobilisation comes as communities across South Africa grapple with a deepening and violent crime crisis. Organised under a unified "Catch, Convict, and Clean-up" agenda, the DA is demanding urgent federal intervention to protect citizens living in constant fear.

The march will proceed from the corner of Aubrey road and Amelia street in Bridge Haven, Gelvan Park, Gqeberha, and conclude at the SAPS 10111 Centre in Schauderville.

Hill-Lewis is expected to use the platform to deliver a serious, national demand directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Central to the party's platform is a call to overhaul the centralised policing model.

The DA argues that concentrating law enforcement power in Pretoria leaves local metros poorly equipped to handle localised gang violence and gender-based violence.

Hill-Lewis will advocate for decentralised policing powers and the passage of the SAPS Amendment Bill to allow capable provincial and local governments to run localised crime-busting units.

He will be joined by DA federal chairperson Solly Msimanga, DA Eastern Cape provincial leader Andrew Whitfield, DA Eastern Cape provincial chairperson Yusuf Cassim, DA Deputy Chief Whip in the National Assembly Bax Nodada, DA Nelson Mandela Bay Mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal and DA Eastern Cape provincial spokesperson Georgina Faldtman.

The metro has experienced an escalation in localised crime and civil unrest over the past several months, including notable gang-related violence in Gqeberha’s Northern Areas.