Neighbours get to know each other
On Sunday, the community of Welgedacht gathered in what was referred to as the Know Your Neighbour campaign.
It was an enjoyable afternoon that consisted of soccer, netball, flea market stalls, and good food.
Community members were encouraged to organise themselves into teams for the respective sports, and compete in friendly games and practise every weekend prior to the event.
“Families got a chance to play against one another, and they also got to enjoy the variety of food we have,” says Ramothakhi Maqabe, Multiplayers Soccer Team coach, whose team also played soccer on the day.
The initiative was conceptualised in an attempt to allow community members to familiarise themselves with one another, and come together to face social ills plaguing the community.
“We realised that members of this community are isolated from one another,” says Mpho Modupi, who is the spokesperson and assistant co-ordinator for the event, “so this event is about community engagement and unifying the community.”
Modupi emphasised that the forum hopes to also use this platform to launch community members into programmes that tackle bigger issues, such as fighting crime and keeping the youth of the community off the streets, where they are exposed to social ills such as drugs and alcohol.
“We also feel that sport is an important tool in keeping children out of mischief,” says Modupi. “By developing the interest in sport, we are able to keep negative influences away from our kids.”
The adults of the community are urged to be active participants in community programmes, as this allows them to come together and brainstorm solutions to the issue of crime in particular.
“Silent crime is rife in our community,” says Modupi, “so we need to start giving a voice to the people and identify and tackle such crimes.”
The event was a success that saw children and adults enjoying sport, food, and community interaction, as well as funds being raised to further develop infrastructure and maintain the community’s environment.
“We are very happy about the turnout and glad that people came to support our initiative,” says Modupi. “It is a good start to something we hope to continue every year.”
