‘Alex needs a mother’s love’

Alex women are making it their mission to rid the township of crime and associated social ills which make the area a no-go for many.

With August being Women’s Month, their effort and determination ought to be highlighted as motivation for others, young and old, to join them in creating a groundswell of residents keen to return the township to its former glory of social cohesion of neighbours living the uBuntu principles of caring and protecting each other.

One such Alexandrian woman, Elizabeth Mokoena (60), implores women to assume their role as human bearers and nurturers by creating an enabling environment for peace and tranquillity to prevail through initiatives on crime prevention, caring for and protecting the vulnerable and, a spirit of neighbourliness.

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Mokoena, who manages the Victim Empowerment Unit at the Alex Police Station, said her love for caring was instinctive and inherited from her grandmother. She said it is consolidated through many volunteering and employment opportunities she undertakes.

“The high level of abuse in Alex will not stop unless women’s caring instincts are harnessed and incorporated with other efforts, starting at home and in the greater Alexandra, on crime fighting and stopping anti-social activities by the residents who know each other and the criminal elements within them,” Mokoena said.

She attributed crime to poor bylaw enforcement, uncontrolled overcrowding and lack of social cohesion. “Most residents are young, transient migrant job seekers staying in shacks with no interest or resources to plough back into the township. They flood the streets day and night, prey on the vulnerable who are also poor and, strangely, are joined by some who are employed but involved in crime to feed a habit of greed.”

She said families and neighbours also reneged on the collective nurturing of children, leaving them vulnerable to sexual, substance, physical and emotional abuse. “Regardless of a biological link, women should take the lead to inculcate the spirit of uBuntu where ‘your child is my child’ in order to pull rank and stop criminals infiltrating our homes.”

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She said social protection started in the home with the parental love of children, mothers listening and acting on concerns raised by children on abuse by stepfathers, and girls listening and respecting parents’ advice against living with boyfriends who end up abusing or killing them. “Children should not be allowed to stay alone in shacks to avoid their exposure to antisocial and criminal elements, and government should ensure that birth certificates of children born out of wedlock have the names of their fathers to enable them to trace the parents and biological relatives when necessary.”

Also, she urged residents to report all crimes, including petty ones, to stop them becoming habitual hardcore trends. She encouraged more collaboration and regular programmes for the residents on safety and security by service organisations.

Details: Victim Empowerment Unit 011 321 7614.

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