Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s (EMM) spokesperson, Mr Samuel Modiba said that the 100 participants have already been recruited for this programme.
“At the end of the programme all participants will be placed in different wards. A total of 100 recruits have already been trained and placed in their wards, another 250 will be taken in by the end of September, December and March respectively. The last 150 will join between April and June 2014,” Mr Modiba said.
He said the metro introduced this programme to build a sense of national identity and foster civic responsibility.
“The metro launched a programme aimed at promoting community safety and bylaw enforcement using young unemployed residents. The volunteers will be enrolled at the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) training academy and receive basic training that will equip them for their duties. The programme equips unemployed youth with skills and experience in the area of law enforcement with the aim of enhancing their employability and motivating them to extend their knowledge in pursuing careers in the field,” he said.
EMM’s member of the mayoral committee (MMC), Clr Mthuthuzeli Siboza said the goal of the programme is to make Ekurhuleni a safer place by training young people to help law enforcers in fighting various social ills.
“The EMPD Peace Corps programme not only serves as a community defence mechanism but will also aid the city to make a difference in addressing the alarming unemployment rate,” said.
Peace Corps volunteer, Mr Johannes Matlabe said the programme is a step in the right direction.
“We are learning how to maintain peace and order in our communities as well as other valuable life skills like how to serve in a respectful manner,” said Matlabe.
In his state of the city address, EMM’s executive mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele, said that the metro will be using R78-million will go towards the implementation of the Peace Corps in Ekurhuleni.
