Hlalanikahle community pray together for killings and other crimes to stop
Vosman Police Station spoke about hijackings taking place in the area and told the people that criminals were working in syndicates
A community prayer was held at Hlalanikahle in Extension 4 after the community members felt that prayers are needed in these difficult times.
The organiser of the community prayer meeting, Bishop Mthunzi Thwala said that they were praying for different things, but the most important one was the widespread killings in the area.
Affected families who have lost their loved ones through murder were visited prior to the community prayer service.
About six families were visited and prayers were offered by the different pastors.
They prayed for crime to stop, for families and for people to have loving hearts.
Different stakeholders were also invited to the service.
The gathering agreed that something needs to be done to stop the killings before it spread wide and far.
The gathering was held on Saturday, March 26 at a soccer ground. Sergeant Ouma Nkambule from Vosman Police Station spoke about hijackings taking place in the area and told the people that criminals were working in syndicates and they were targeting certain models of cars.
“High on their list are Toyotas, they are working in a group of five to ten people and most are from Gauteng. We have hot spots and these people are very clever. They use certain ways to get information on their victims and they pounce mostly during the night. Some of them are using sophisticated devices to even stop tracking devices. Please be careful, always check your environment and stay alert all the time,” said sergeant Nkambule.
She also warned people about fraud in cell phone banking and that people need to be very careful and always double-check the information they give or receive.
Ms Thandeka Sibanyoni from the Foundation for Victims of Crime said that through their research it was found that there are widespread abuses within our communities whether emotional or physical and children are mostly affected.
She indicated that they raise awareness of the impact of committing a crime by educating the communities as means of crime prevention through media, door to door campaigning, school visits and community meetings.
They increase the understanding of victims’ and witnesses’ needs.
They also encourage the victims to explore their choices and to develop strategies for managing their experiences, increase victims’ and witnesses’ rights as contained in the SA Victims Charter of 2004.
The foundation trains field workers to give emotional and practical support.
They use effective communication skills to help the victims express their thoughts and feelings about how the crime affected them.
They make telephone calls or visits to SAPS and update the victim on the latest development of the case. They achieved that in most cases where cases were left due to lost dockets and after their intervention, most of those cases were on trial in court.
They support witnesses and victims who appear in court; they provide a safe and comfortable environment and also conduct previsits to court.
Ms Florine Mokwena chairperson of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) spoke about the challenges they face doing their work.
She said domestic violence leading to gender-based violence was a problem.
She pleaded with people not to stay in abusive relationships.
Former councillor Jappie Msibi addressed the people about the different types of abuses and children’s rights.
It was agreed that similar community prayer services are needed in the community as most people need to heal.
Share your news tips via: Telephone: 013 656 2490 WhatsApp: 060 866 8682 Email: info@witbanknews.co.za
Or follow us on WITBANK NEWS platforms: Instagram, Twitter Witbank News App Facebook page Witbank News Breaking
