CPF secretary aims to better her community

Tsakani – Ntombizodwa Mohlamonyane (36) is the Tsakani CPF secretary, elected into position in 2019.

Before becoming the secretary, Mohlamonyane had been a member of the CPF for three years. Her love for community work developed as she was still a general member.

She said she loved the objective of the CPF as it was established to form a partnership between the police and the communities they serve to ensure effective protection of communities and a better quality of life.

“I believe in the spirit of ubuntu. I joined the CPF with a vision to help my community. I strongly believe there is always something each of us as individuals can do to make the world a better place.

“This includes enhancing the quality of information available to the police, resulting in the development of a proactive and problem-solving approach to crime and violence,” Mohlamonyane said.

She said working with different stakeholders before being elected as secretary showed her the importance of unity among community members.

She mentioned working closely with the police, women as safety promoters (WASP) and the gender-based violence brigades showed her the huge gaps that community members face daily.

“Issues such as GBV are still a problem within our community. Helping and dealing with such cases as a member of the CPF motivated me to invest more of my time in community work.

“I believe by giving back to the community, we are helping in so many great ways. We may not realise that each of our little actions is beneficial to others, especially as we grow to become mature adults,” Mohlamonyane said.

She said she has always loved and valued helping others, and that is her strongest conviction. She feels as community members we should give back to make our communities a safer place.

“Communities have become an unsafe place to live in. There are crimes such as rape, hijackings, substance abuse, violence and a lot more. As a CPF member, my job includes what I love, which is working against criminal activities.

“CPF members create awareness through campaigns, engage the community through educational programs, and attempt to work collaboratively with different stakeholders to help reduce crime by developing non-violent communication and emotional regulation skills.

“We monitor the youth, support community centres, and aim to prevent substance abuse.” cited Mohlamonyane.

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She added community participation in crime prevention is essential for effective social control in small communities, saying it may take the form of individual action.

She also indicated as a woman in a position, she faces a lot of criticism and challenges.

“Working with people who believe in different things makes it difficult to do your work efficiently. There is a lot of stigmata around women in position; people tend to look down on you and often try to sabotage your work. I would say that is the biggest disadvantage I tend to confront from time to time.

“An advantage is getting knowledge based on laws, regulations and policies, and engagement skills when dealing with communities and individuals,” mentioned Mohlamonyane.