EDITOR – I have been a member of the CCPO from the very start because I believe collectively we can make our town a safer place to live.
Before I moved to Amanzimtoti I was also a founder member of the community crime prevention organisation at my previous residence.
The problem is getting members to join. Only some 30% of the residents in my previous suburb joined as members, stating they don’t have to join as ‘the suburb is safer now’, not realising (or caring) that it was because of the few people who were making a difference.
When it comes to the CCPO, there are three types of residents who reside in Amanzimtoti:
a. Residents who have become members of the CCPO and who pay their fees every month. These are called ‘members’ and these are the people who enable the CCPO to make Amanzimtoti a much safer place to live with the many successes that are reported weekly in the South Coast Sun.
b. There are residents who cannot afford to pay the monthly fees, even though they would like to. These residents are called ‘non-members’.
c. The last category of residents are those people who can easily afford to pay the monthly fees, but don’t. These people are under the impression that they are also ‘non-members’ but this sadly, is not so. These residents are called ‘parasites’.
‘Parasites’ are the people who, although they can afford to make a contribution to everyone’s safety, and even improve our safety if more residents joined, do not join the CCPO. I have heard reasons such as ‘but I have armed response at my house’, or ‘I live in a security complex’. Do these people never, ever, go outside their houses? Do they never go to the mall or drive through Amanzimtoti?
These ‘parasites’ are not ‘non-members’. They are the stingy and greedy people in our society who are very happy to sponge off the other people who are making a real difference.
If this letter has annoyed any of the ‘parasites’ who sadly live among us, then simply join the CCPO and pay your monthly fees to make this a safer place for all, and you will instantaneously lose your ‘parasite’ status and will acquire the status of being a ‘member’.
Most importantly, you will be making a difference that could even save someone’s life – possibly even your own life or the life of one of your loved ones.
ANNOYED CCPO MEMBER
