March against crime in Actonville and Wattville a success
Community members gathered to support the prayer march against crime.
The residents of Actonville and Wattville gathered in numbers at Masoleng Park in Wattville to march and pray against crime in the area on August 18.
Accompanied by members of the Actonville CPF, the Youth Desk, the EMPD, Modderbee Correctional Services, and pastors, the officers from the Actonville SAPS led the peaceful march.
Participants visited crime hotspots, including Masoleng Park, the Wattville bridge and Sunshine Car Park.
The march ended at the Actonville Police Station, where attendees received a bottle of water and fruits to regain their strength.
The Actonville SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Gift Chiloane, said the march was for the betterment of the area and to celebrate how strong women were.
“We thought we should use this opportunity to pray by mobilising all women to pray for Actonville and Wattville,” he said.
According to pastor Justin Matli, the march was their way of pleading with the community to stop crime in the area, gender-based violence(GBV) and substance abuse.
“As much as we try to help the community, residents must work with us and try to find other sources of income rather than selling drugs,” he said.
“Most social problems like GBV originate from substance abuse. When substance abusers get high, they tend to do awful things. We hope this prayer march will motivate some, if not all, substance abusers,” he added.
Community member Cecilia Namane said these prayer marches should be more frequent to fight crime and other social issues.
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