Peri Peri ceases operations for now

After two years of service, Peri Peri Community Safety has temporarily stopped operations. This is following numerous challenges, including a lack of resources and support.

Lucky Lerefolo, the president of the organisation, says it pains the members of the organisation to cease their services to the community as the safety of the people is their main priority.

He says the members have voluntarily put their lives in danger for the sake of the community over the years. Many have appreciated it, while others have not.

Some of the hurdles they faced were when one of their members lost her unborn child while attending a scene. The most recent event was when one of their members was brutally attacked and admitted to hospital and three others were charged with murder. According to Lerefolo, the accused appeared in Potchefstroom Magistrates’ court on Monday, 16 November, and were granted bail.

“Some people use the identity of the group to commit crimes, which puts us in a bad light. These are some of the reasons why we have decided to take a break and use this time to reconstruct the organisation,” Lerefolo said.

The Peri Peri are a group of community members from different parts of Ikageng and surrounding areas who work together to combat crime and help victims recover their stolen property.

They feel they also don’t get enough support from the police. So, the members collectively decided to temporarily halt the operations to redesign their methods of service while sticking to their vision and mission.

They also want to ensure that all members have uniforms when attending to various matters so that criminals don’t steal their identity and use it to commit crimes.

Lerefolo and Papi Diale, the chairperson of Peri Peri Ikageng region, also emphasised that they want to encourage more entities and people to join, be involved in their safety and be willing to invest in it too.

Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, the police spokesperson, says they support all structures, like the community police forum (CPF) or those under the CPF. “We don’t want structures that take the law into their own hands and operate alone, without the knowledge of the forum.

“Whether you are a community patroller or you participate in the sector crime forum, you must be known and recognised in the CPF,” he said. He explained that working together with organisations to combat crime isn’t a problem, but people must abide by the law.

Lastly, Peri Peri apologises to people who may feel saddened by the decision the organisation has taken.

It reassures them that once they have restructured the organisation, they will resume with their duties to protect the community.