Malvern resident Arifur Rahman Dilu is the secretary at Malvern Business Forum.
Dilu joined the forum last year.
Also read: Malvern forum gets a new name
“I have been living in Malvern for the past 10 years. Crime in this area has always been very high.
“I also run and own a supermarket in Jules Street. I have been running my business for 11 years. My business was robbed a number of times, so Cleveland SAPS operation commander Capt Ramodisa Peter urged us to join the forum so that businesses in the area could all come together and try work on making our area safe,” he said.
Dilu said joining the forum has really helped him.
“I get to exchange ideas with other business owners about how we can protect our businesses against crime. We communicate with police who patrol the area. If anything should happen to our businesses, police know each shop for faster reaction time to any problems that may arise.
“My duties as a secretary include taking minutes and sharing them with other business owners. The reason for minutes is mainly to inform other business owners who are unable to attend the meeting so that they can know what is happening in the area. I send the information to other businesses via letters, our WhatsApp group and emails.
“Even though working with the police has made a difference, crime in the area has escalated in the last couple of months. We need more police visibility and we would like to appeal to residents to work closer with us,” he said.
The Malvern Business Forum consists of business owners, residents and the SAPS. The forum meets monthly with sector managers to discuss safety issues.
Contact Dilu on 084 982 4548.
For more news and interesting articles, like Joburg East Express on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Email joburgeast@caxton.co.za
