RAs partner with Patrollers
Residents association representatives and the independent Honeydew/ Wilgeheuwel Patrollers met during a recent meeting.
Residents’ associations (RAs) extended a hand of collaboration to the Honeydew/ Wilgeheuwel Patrollers during a recent meeting held in Honeydew.
The meeting was attended by members of the Honeydew/ Wilgeheuwel Patrollers, and representatives of various Northside RAs, to find a way to collaborate toward curbing crime – especially cable theft – throughout the Northside.
Founder and leader of the Patrollers, Teke Morudu, kicked proceedings off by explaining to the RA representatives what his organisation is all about, how it originated, and how they conduct their business. He also highlighted some of the hotspots within the area and discussed how the group currently collaborates with other patroller groups, the CPF, and the police.
Morudu says that before Covid, cable theft was much less of a problem than it is now, and speculated that this is mostly due to the establishment of many small vagrant camps in the area.
“The real problems started once the informal waste pickers moved into our areas,” he says. “This led to the establishment of numerous small informal camps and as far as we can determine, these are the same people that are to a large extent involved in widespread cable theft throughout the area.”
Local RAs were represented by Willowbrook, Amarosa, Ruimsig, and Poortview Residents Association (WRAP RA) chairperson Martin van der Westhuizen, and Izak van Rooyen and Minda Kruger, chair and deputy chair of Honeydew Residents Association (HRA), who acknowledged the work done by the Patrollers.
“At the end of the day we are all on the same team,” Van Rooyen said. “We all want what is best for our neighbourhoods, and we all want to keep our families safe.”
The RAs have extended an invitation to the Patrollers to join the RAs as an independent sub-committee, allowing for collaboration on various fronts, from fundraising to spreading awareness about crime in the area. This means that the Patrollers remain independent, but there is an agreement of collaboration between the two entities.
“We are officially affiliated with the Honeydew Community Police Forum and we remain committed to them. But we do believe that working together will prove to be more productive for everyone involved,” Kruger explained.
According to Morudu, the offer of becoming an independent sub-committee of the various RAs will be seriously considered by the Patrollers and discussed at their upcoming meetings.
