Winde takes the knee: Premier thanks NHW for fight against crime
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has gone on his knees to thank Cape Flats crime fighters for keeping their community safe.
The Elsies River team was lauded by Winde for their hard work in patrolling their streets and reducing crime in their precinct.
During a special visit to Leonsdale on Tuesday, Winde handed the neighbourhood watches their accreditation certificates and even went on his knees to thank patrollers.
Elsies River Community Police Forum (CPF) chair Hamish Arries says after two years of hard work, they had established 10 neighbourhood watches consisting of nearly 400 patrollers who take to the streets each day.
“We have re-established all the watches over two years with the aim of taking over every street, every circle and every block of flats from the gangsters,” he says.
“We now have 10 neighbourhood watches with 385 patrollers who patrol day and night to curb crime. We focus on the times when people go to work and children go to school and we stand in the hotspots to help prevent shootings.”
Arries says while the precinct was not immune to gang violence, they had seen a reduction in the crime stats in the last two years.
“We have regular imbizos where we reach out and a religious committee consisting of pastors and imams who go into schools.
“With the stone throwing fights, we see the success of the interventions by Ward Councillor Franchesca Walker and we follow up with these children to ensure they don’t fall back into acting like gangsters.
“Winde must have heard about our work from Albert Fritz, who came here before he got fired, and also came to see the work we are doing.”
He says during the walkabout, patrollers took Winde to the gang hotspots to show him why they are passionate about transforming their community.
“We deliberately took him to the hotspots so he could see the bullets in the walls and the blood-soaked pavements.
“At the end he even went on his knees to thank the patrollers who are the real heroes.”
Speaking to the Daily Voice, Winde says he was impressed when he arrived in Leonsdale.
“Safety is the biggest concern for most of us and when I arrived, my initial impression was to see how clean it is because if you can tackle the grime which goes along with the crime, it is a good step.
“When I do get a chance to get out, I try to meet with the neighbourhood watches because they are the real heroes.
monique.duval@inl.co.za