Hangman’s Rupert Taljaard: his heart beats for Mbombela
"He has a heart for Mbombela and its people," said his long-time friend Lani Lourens.
MBOMBELA – Bossie’s Community Justice (BCJ) founder, Rupert Taljaard is known for his brilliant ideas.
In 2010 he launched BCJ, a non-profit crime-fighting organisation. This happened after his friend Bossie
Bezuidenhout was killed at Shandon Estate. “We never want to regret not taking a step in the fight against crime,” he said when announcing the initiative seven years ago.
The section 21 company employs Albert Gryvenstein and Danie Theron. These two experienced crime fighters serve the community daily, at no cost to residents.
“He has a heart for Mbombela and its people,” said his long-time friend Lani Lourens. “Rupert is always helping someone. He is always on a mission. If he is not helping someone, he launches a campaign to keep our streets clean,” she recalled. In 2013 he learnt that the SPCA were having financial problems.
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He donated R1 000 and challenged others to do the same. Within an hour, more than R7 500 had been collected.
Three years ago, Lowvelder reported that he launched a no-littering initiative in the streets surrounding Stinkhout Crescent. He was regularly spotted picking up rubbish in the area.
“I want to prevent crime whenever and however I can,” he told Lowvelder in 2016. To this effect, he designed a spare-wheel alarm that sounds whenever a vehicle’s spare wheel is tampered with. He called it Spare Wheel Alarm Technologies – SWAT, in short. Many SWAT units have since been produced and are on sale countrywide. In Mbombela, it is stocked by Glassfit Nelspruit.
Another patent followed – Halt Lock. Halt is an acronym for “Hardcore Automotive Locking Technology.” It is a tamper-proof product that makes it impossible to move a vehicle from its parked position. “We want to eliminate vehicle theft completely, giving the owner the peace of mind that once his vehicle is locked and left unattended, it cannot be taken by anyone else,” Halt Lock’s website states.
Rupert represents this brand as a finalist in Cell C’s reality series, Hangman. Cell C describes it as a unique reality show that aims to uncover South Africa’s greatest innovator. In addition to giving finalists the opportunity to promote their brands, the show has put R1 million prize money up for grabs.
“We support Rupert fully in this endeavour,” said BCJ’s operational manager, Gryvenstein. “When Rupert tackles something, he does it properly. And he always seeks to promote not only his own interests, but that of our community. He is a real ambassador for the Lowveld,” he said.
