An impromptu meeting called by Mindalore resident Lefentse Radikeledi yielded positive fruit but also birthed a warning from community crime-fighting activists.
According to Michelle van Molendorf, another community activist, the meeting was called since it seems, “… the police clearly don’t have the resources necessary to address the constant attacks on our citizens”.
One of the main points of discussion was the various WhatsApp and Telegram groups that the community of Mindalore use to come up with proposals to tackle the crime. Residents were warned not to add people willy-nilly to these groups since criminals can gain information this way.
On a positive note Help 24 Security caught wind of the community’s desperate plea for help and committed to helping them. They have come up with a plan to deal with some of the problems in the area, but due to its sensitive nature, the News cannot publish the details. A representative of the security company asked that the community be their eyes and ears. They also suggested that a separate Panic Group Only should be created which Help 24 Security has indicated they would monitor in order to respond to.
According to Van Molendorf, “It was suggested that people obtain air horns, which is a siren that makes a lot of noise as a deterrent. If one goes off the rest of the people in the street can sound their air horns as well until the security company arrives. These are available for less than R100. Residents also were told not to go outside when they hear suspected criminal activity as the criminals come in numbers and are armed. Instead, they should switch their lights on and off and sound the air horn, but they should not expose their whereabouts until the security companies respond. The residents are particularly vulnerable during load-shedding. The only solution is to put up solar lights as lighting deters criminals.”
A follow-up meeting will take place on August 6 in the park adjacent to Impala Street.
For more information or to be screened and added to the social media groups contact Van Molendorf on 081 428 3335 or Radikeledi on 083 325 2474.
