The Masoyi community recently held a fun walk for tourists’ safety and against crimes and gender-based violence (GBV) on the R538 and Numbi roads leading to the Kruger National Park.
It was initiated by the Isure Music Non-Profit Company in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Tourism Parks Agency (MTPA) and the Masoyi SAPS. More than 100 villagers from the area attended.
The organiser, Bongani Mathebula, said the main goal was to sensitise the community about crime in the area. They also want them to become involved in the safety of tourists in the area.
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“We brought in the MPTA because they are responsible for the safety of the tourists, and they also use the road where the community lives. Some of the businesses are benefiting from the tourists, but if they are not safe, they will not use the road. So we saw it fit to get the community involved and ensure the tourists are safe at all times,” Mathebula said.
He also wants to end the scourge of truck hijackings as he says it is bad for business and gives the area a bad name. Business robberies are also a major problem, and he wants the community to be the first to protect the businesses by making sure they work with the police to arrest the perpetrators, as most of these criminals reside in these communities.
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“Another problem in our area is GBV, which was also addressed because it’s traumatic for victims. We believe that it starts within us to respect one another, and to make sure that women and children are not abused. We also realised that in Masoyi, there are people who are still being abused and that their abusers go free, so we want to put an end to that. We informed the men and women who attended the walk about the signs of GBV and how they can try and avoid it and report it.”
Meanwhile, the Masoyi SAPS said it is committed to working with the community in fighting crime, and asked them to report any criminal activities in the area. The police also urged the residents to share the whereabouts of these criminals in their communities.
The abused were also urged to report their cases to the SAPS instead of remaining in silence.
