Peri Peri Security wants to give youngsters hope and security

Peri Peri Community and Security Services (Peri Peri CSS) is a well-known group in Potchefstroom that has started an initiative to lower unemployment among the young people of Ikageng, Promosa, and the broader communities of Potchefstroom.
Peri Peri CSS founder and president Lucky Lerefolo explains that drug abuse and crime among young people are closely related to the high unemployment rate.
“In every corner of the extensions, you find young people sitting around, doing nothing and waiting to rob people.”
Lucky adds that young people start using drugs because there is nothing for them to do, and they have no purpose, as unemployment keeps them at home. They then start robbing others to support their drug problem, and the evil cycle continues. “We decided to do something and opened a security company to employ these youngsters. By the grace of God, we have a few clients and can employ 20 young people to help with the clients.”
Lucky explains that they can support 20 families financially and keep 20 young people off the streets and away from drugs.
“The goal for this year is to open a training school where we will train young people in security and provide them with a job opportunity afterwards, should we have enough clients to enable us financially. Unfortunately, we cannot absorb all young people, but we would like to absorb as many as possible into the programme,”
Lucky says.
“Drugs are accessible. They
cause our kids to do all kinds of
bad things. Drugs are big business
that we cannot handle on our
own; we need the police to help
us.” Lucky adds that the station commander of the Ikageng Police Station is an indispensable attribute to the company and the community.
“The station commander is very supportive. If we ask him to come, he comes. If there are no police vehicles available, he uses his car to come. We cannot handle cases of rape or child abuse on our own. Sometimes, I wake him up in the middle of the night to help, and he comes,” Lucky smiles and says, “We would like to keep this station commander.”
“Last year, we faced many challenges, like some of our members being arrested for doing illegal stuff.”
Lucky says the company has turned a page since then and hopes for Potchefstroom businesses’ support in their initiative.
“We have so much crime in the townships, and the unemployment rate is so high. I want to appeal to Potchefstroom businesses to help our young people to get jobs. One of the products I introduced is night patrol. We walk around businesses and properties at night to protect them. We want to appeal to businesses to use this product so we can employ as many young people as possible.
“We will be operational this coming Sunday. We ask the community to come and join us. It is a call to save the young people.”