AfriForum’s Kempton Park neighbourhood watch makes the most of August

During August, AfriForum’s Kempton Park neighbourhood watch reacted to 25 incidents and provided aid to the community. These incidents, in conjunction with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and various security companies, include among others a number of accident scenes and the tracking of various stolen vehicles.

The neighbourhood watch also provided aid in the following incidents:

• Aid to a woman – whose son committed suicide – until the SAPS and emergency services arrived on scene.
• Provided assistance in two incidents where a man and a woman respectively passed away of a heart attack.
• A man, who moved in on a work property without permission from the owner, was removed.
• Aid to parents to locate their child.
• Provided aid to an elderly couple whose gas canister in the house caught fire, as well as another incident where a lapa caught fire.
• Assisted two women who were robbed in a street.
• Assisted in cooperation with security guards and the SAPS to track a hijacked vehicle in Tembisa.
• Assisted in a case of domestic violence, where the son wanted to assault the father. The SAPS were summoned and defused the situation.
• Assisted a woman in labour along with security guards and emergency services. The baby was born at home and thereafter mother and baby was taken to the hospital.
• Provided safety services at the Winter Festival at Laerskool Birchleigh.
• While the neighbourhood watch was on patrol, they noticed a man who was busy stealing cables. The SAPS was summoned and the man was arrested.
• Provided assistance to security companies in a case of two motorcycle thefts. The motorcycles were found and a vehicle was confiscated.
• Assisted security companies in a vehicle that was followed from Sandton to Tembisa. The vehicle was tracked in Kempton Park.
• The proto team and the SAPS’s K9 Unit did a drug identification action to obtain search warrants.
• The proto team and the SAPS’s K9 Unit also arrested a suspect in possession of a crack cocaine pipe and methamphetamine.
• Located a boy who ran away from his home.
• A management member came across a hijacking and chased the suspects away.
• Assisted with traffic control after an electric transformer caught fire in Van Riebeeckpark.
• Received radio speech and anti-hijack training.

According to Jan Vermaak, AfriForum’s Kempton Park branch chairperson, it is important to be active and visible in the community to drive criminals from the area.

“We have seen many times that criminals are driven from areas where the community works together to curb criminal activities and be visible. We are responsible for our own safety and can achieve this by focussing on a common goal.”

Dirk Venter, Chairperson for AfriForum’s Kempton Park branch neighbourhood watch, says that community involvement plays a big role in Kempton Park and that people must join the existing structures to therefore make an active difference.

“We encourage residents of Kempton Park and surrounds to become involved and to help us promote the safety of the community.”

Become involved and join the neighbourhood watch by sending an SMS with the word “Veiligheid” to 45342 (R1) or sending an email to afriforum.kemp@gmail.com.