MARCHING through the streets they call home on Saturday, 15 July, Wentworth residents showed they refuse to sit back and let their community fall to ruin.
About 100 people gathered at the Ogle Road sports grounds to march to reclaim Wentworth. They hoped to foster a sense of community, of solidarity and kinship, while taking a stand against crime, grime and apathy.
“Let us give our children the opportunities we didn’t have. Let us be the role models to them we didn’t have. We see presidents, doctors and scientists – there they are running in front of us. These are our children, let’s make it great for them,” said march organiser, Jason Israel Abrahams.
They marched to put an end to kidnapping and violence, to unite the community to stand up, speak out and take action. Brandishing placards reading ‘Zero tolerance to kidnappings’, ‘Unity is our strength’ and ‘A cleaner, safer community’, the marchers wore shirts emblazoned with ‘Save our community’.
The march was precipitated by the recent kidnappings and attempted kidnappings in the area and around the country.
“What I see here today is history. It is about support, standing together and doing what is positive. It is our community and if we don’t do anything about it, who will? I stand for right, I stand for justice and I also stand for people who stand united for the right things,” said ward councillor, Aubrey Snyman.
The peaceful crowd was made up of community leaders, spokesmen, police, mothers, fathers, families and those whose lives have been impacted by drugs, violence and a lack of opportunity.
“I have a brother who is in a wheelchair today because of drugs. He was a brilliant man but today he is in a wheelchair,” said Wentworth Organisation of Women founder, Patricia Dove. Wentworth Angel’s founder, Tracey Williams said people needed to stop being bystanders.
“For too long this community has seen division. For too long some of us have been spectators or social media critics but when it is actually time to represent Wentworth, we run in the opposite direction.
It is our community – why can’t we be proud of our surroundings? Why can’t we speak out against the drug dealers? Why? Because we have the attitude that it is not my job or we blame the police, or we say ‘I wish someone could sort that out’. If we don’t change our mentality and realise that that someone is you, we will remain on the back foot,” said Williams.
The hope is for other communities to look to Wentworth and say ‘I want to live there’ and ‘I want to raise my children there’.
“Too many times in the past there has been separation, separation among our people, which has caused us to fall instead of rise. But today the people are showing with us standing together we can win as a community,” said Abrahams.
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