Co-operation helped bring peace to Upper Highway communities after KZN unrest

NICK Nzama, a strategic planner specialising in transformation and diversity, had the right skills to bring people together last July.

“Although I am a Kearsney College old boy, I come from the Valley of 1000 Hills, so I said, ‘Let me see what I can do’. I approached the neighbourhood watch (NHW) and the Community Policing Forum (CPF),” says Nzama.

How it began

“I called people in the valley who are influential in the community, and we had a meeting in Botha’s Hill, outside the old post office. There were 12 of us, including the taxi guys, community leaders, the councillors and some of the NHW groups,” says the Hillcrest resident.

Nzama’s old school opened their facilities for a series of meetings with all affected stakeholders.

The past learner says, “To our surprise, the hall was jam-packed with community members – concerned people who wanted this thing to end. Engagement and lobbying with different community groupings began, and people began to see the situation as it truly was – criminal activity. We all soon adopted the same strategy which made things clearer: We are stopping criminals.”

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Community spirit

Once the situation started to normalize, Nzama says that a visible, unified community spirit was reassuring.

“When the Botha’s Hill Spar and service station opened, they were manned by people from across the community – of all races. It was so encouraging. People began moving from a place of fear. It was so good to see fear becoming camaraderie,” says Nzama.

Food security becomes a focus

One of the most pressing issues was the need for food in the valley communities as their spaza shops and grocery stores had been ransacked, damaged and burned down.

“With help from various NGOs and Hillcrest residents, we were able to distribute 120 tons of food parcels into all the valleys. Our problem had moved from a security issue into a food-security issue. By Wednesday, when other areas were still unstable, we were already distributing food parcels,” he says.

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Ongoing initiatives

According to the businessman, the approach worked like a miracle, and the Outer West Business and Community Initiative was birthed in the process. Collaboration and projects between the two communities are ongoing.

“We want an Upper Highway where people are working in harmony. We want to create a sustainable economy that benefits everybody. We encourage Upper Highway residents to employ local people first. If you need a plumber or painter, employ them locally. Let’s ensure that people in our area are working and can provide for themselves,” says Nzama.

The entrepreneur states that the area is rural. He says, “It’s not a migrant community, and most people are born and live here. So, we ask them, ‘Why would you destroy a local business that employs local people?’“

Nzama’s organization has become involved with various initiatives.

“We have started working with business forums with entrepreneurs needing mentorship, and we are engaging with retired and current business people, to begin skills transfer with business people in the valley. We want the economy in the valley to be strong and independent of the economy in the suburbs. We are asking rigorously for business people who would like to be mentors to come forward,” says Nzama.

Restoring the CPF

Another focus of the group under Nzama’s leadership was to revitalize the CPF.

“We had to ensure the CPF was functional. It is the only structure, constitutionally, that can liaise with and hold the South African Police Services (SAPS) to account. The CPF now has an office and a sponsored vehicle with sponsored fuel, the cost of which is shared between various service stations in Hillcrest.”

Additionally, the Hillcrest police station has benefited from an upgrade. Trees have been cut down and the police station cleaned up. All 14 SAPS vehicles have been repaired by local dealerships.

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Other focus areas

Nzama is adamant that people need to be self-sufficient and have food security. His organisation offers basic farming courses, in the hope that every home will eventually have its own food garden.

“We’ve moved on from distributing food parcels and are saying if we distribute food, we are creating a dependency amongst our people. Teaching farming is a sustainable solution. Our vision is to have a market where people from the valley can sell the produce directly from their own gardens.”

Boys 2 Men, founded by Nzama in 2011, is a mentorship program for young men.

He says, ”Through this programme, we target the young boy child and run camps for large groups. We try to address social ills, but the priority is to teach boys to become responsible citizens and better nation builders.”

A gala dinner was held last year, to thank all the role players in this extraordinary process.

Nzama says,” We honoured the 33 NHW in the Upper Highway, taxi associations, chiefs and indunas in our area, and the community activists that were at the forefront of mobilising in-the-valley communities – all of whom contributed to the peace we brokered.”

As Nzama likes to say, “If it is to be, it is up to us.”

Contact:  FB group – Stronger Together Outer West

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