Nokuzola Ngubane
Love them or hate them! They maintain law and order in the township and stabilise ever swelling and unscrupulous crime rate.
But if you mess up with the community they protect with any nefarious acts they can beat you to a bloody pulp and instill a strict discipline that can only be found in an army base camp.
Their swift tactical prompt reaction is tantamount to the one carried out by Japanese Kamikaze pilots during the World War 2.
The only difference is that they are a community based patrolling structure only armed with Sjamboks and Vuvuzelas and on a business mission to destroy all forms of crime in their surrounding community.
Back to the story. Jabavu Patrollers are fast becoming the crime busters in White City Jabavu Soweto and the proximate areas.
Formed last year during the height of Covid-19 under the stewardship command of a very dedicated top six committee headed by Co-ordinator Chief in Command Nie Cele.
They work under the tutelage of Moroka sector 3 policing forum and their simple task is to combat all forms of crime, maintain safety and security, protect communities, guard township infrastructure and correct fashionable common devious behaviour practised by drug junkies in most households.
But they are fast gaining recognition for their bravery and resilience in dealing with all the social ills and crime shenanigans.
According to Cele, Crime in all townships is growing in leaps and bounds every day.
“Criminals are smarter and sophisticated these days. They plan properly in advance to accomplish their mission of robbing victims especially pensioners.
“Socio economic conditions, poverty and high rate of unemployment trigger many social ills in any society and crime is one of them. Our government needs to come up with concrete strategies and programmes of improving socio economic conditions in the entire country or else we might find ourselves living in crime ridden townships who in turn will become a safe haven for criminals without being identified. Infact most township residents know perpetrators of crime and are reluctant to point them out or expose them.”
Cele also pointed out on a richter scale of 1-10 their success record in dealing with crime in the township was a notable distinction between 80 and 90% adding that sadly these man and women operate on a shoe string budget of R20 donation collected from each household once a month.
At the time of going to print, attempts to solicit comment from the Moroka Sector Manager was unsuccessfully.
DID YOU KNOW?
- In most communities especially in the Soweto townships Patrollers are rapidly increasing and they are the first people to arrive at most crime scenes.
- Most residents now rely heavily on Patrollers than Police.
