AfriForum opens new training centre and control room in Roodepoort, tackles safety on the West Rand
The civil rights organisation AfriForum opened a new branch centre in Roodepoort on Friday (2 August), which will serve as a training centre and control room focussing on protecting residents on the West Rand. This step comes amid an alarming increase in crime on the West Rand, which, according to AfriForum, necessitates effective action from the authorities and civil society.
According to crime statistics, house robberies in Roodepoort, Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Westonaria and Fochville have increased by 90 incidents in just one year, from 392 cases in 2021/2022 to 482 in 2022/2023. This amounts to an increase of almost 23% within just one year.
“These statistics clearly show that crime on the West Rand penetrates where residents should feel the safest, namely in their homes. The increase in house robberies is a serious cause for concern and shows that the current approach to crime prevention is neither sufficient nor successful,” explains Stephanus Blignault, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the West Rand and Vaal Triangle.
According to Blignaut, the serious safety problems plaguing the area compelled AfriForum’s Roodepoort branch to take the initiative to set up a branch centre to better coordinate security initiatives throughout the West Rand safety network. The centre is situated in the Beacon Road Office Park, Florida North.
AfriForum set up its first regional safety network in the Southern Cape earlier this year. Since then, similar networks have also been established elsewhere in the country. Blignaut emphasises that regional safety networks aim to achieve closer cooperation between AfriForum branches in an area, which will help ensure that safety issues can be tackled over a wider region.
“Regional safety networks have several advantages,” explains Blignaut. “By utilising an effective safety network, criminal activities can be combated in a larger area. Likewise, information, such as that collected with the help of security cameras along roads, can be shared more widely and the movement of suspects between areas can be monitored much better. In addition, crime trends can also be identified and analysed more accurately to determine vulnerability and perform better risk analyses.”
A total of five AfriForum neighbourhood watches and six branches on the West Rand are now united by this safety network.
The Roodepoort branch centre will serve AfriForum members and the community of Johannesburg North, Roodepoort, Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Westonaria and Fochville and will soon also be set up in such a way as to be used as a member service centre for AfriForum members. The centre will also be used as a central project centre for large AfriForum projects in the region.
According to Werner Britz, Chairperson for AfriForum’s Roodepoort branch, the opening of AfriForum’s Roodepoort branch centre is a dream come true. “The centre is a great asset for AfriForum’s members in this area and will play a critical role in AfriForum’s safety strategy for the West Rand. Residents yearn to feel safe again in their own homes, in their streets, parks and neighbourhoods, and this is what we are now striving for,” emphasises Britz.
Get involved
Get involved with the AfriForum Roodepoort Centre today. Contact roodepoort@afriforumtak.co.za for more information.
