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ISOLABANTU AUGUST 2015
Neighbourhood watch take on thugs F
ED up with crime, some Dunoon residents, mostly women, are taking control of their township from thugs.
They joined the Dunoon Neighbourhood watch to fight crime and patrol crime hot spots areas. The Neighbourhood watch coordinator Noluthando Ludziya, 39, a wife and mother of three children aged nine, 11 and 15, said the increase in violent crime in the township compelled her and her husband to join the neighbourhood watch to take the township back from thugs. She said she had often witnessed people being savagely robbed in her street and she’s had had enough. “I witnessed a man being stabbed by two thugs. They were trying to rob him of his shopping plastic bags and they were stabbing him repeatedly. Although it was dangerous I screamed stop it and they run away. Things like these drove us to fight crime,” said Ludziya. Equipped with torches and wearing reflecting vests, Ludziya and 22 other residents most of them women patrol the streets of Dunoon on foot. She said they have been active in neighbourhood policing since 2014 and their patrolling strategy—targeting crime problematic areas— is bearing fruit. She said Ethembeni, Siyahlala, Ekuphumleni and Bhekhela squatter camps are crime problematic areas including the township’s section 21, 23 and 28. “Most of the time we confront thugs attempting to rob their victim then they run. Sometimes we even catch the thugs beating their Isolabantu subscribes
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victims and we call the police after making a citizen arrest,” she said. She said tarvens violated their liquor license operating hours and closed in the early hours of the morning and they had to force them to adhere to their liquor license operating hours. Another problem, she said was illegal shebeens spread out all over the squatter camps providing shelter to thugs. “We have illegal shebeens more than anything else,” she said. In addition, she said they often found neglected and abandoned children loitering in the streets in the middle of the night. “We take the children to the cop shop,” she said. The neighbourhood watch however lacked patrolling equipment such as torches, and bicycles, she said. And they also needed a shelter to meet and discuss their strategy before patrolling, she said. Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Jean Pierre Smith said the City had previously trained and equipped a group of neighbourhood watch members in Dunoon in 2014 and handed over of certificates, jackets, torches, whistles and bicycles. “The group of ladies in question is encouraged to contact our Community Safety Liaison Department on 021 444 7966 for assistance,” said Smith. Milnerton Police spokeswoman Daphne O’Reilly said they are aware of the Dunoon Neighbourhood watch. “Cops working in Dunoon do walk with the Neighbourhood watch, especially Friday and Saturday evenings. Neighbourhood watches assist SAPS to be there eyes and ears and also assist with visibility in the Community,” said O’Reilly. Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said in June his department trained 30 members of Dunoon neighbourhood watch.
Members of the Dunoon Neighbourhood watch are taking on thugs in the kasi