A group of people from Gugulethu converged at NY108 for a street Imbizo on Saturday 23 July.
The event was organised by the Gugulethu Police Station in a bid to fight crime in the community.
The Imbizo was attended by various organisations including the Father A Nation (FAN)#NoExcuse and Gugulethu Community Policing Forum (CPF).
Gugulethu police spokesperson Sgt Sindisiwe Ngqele labelled the gathering as a strategy to fight crime in the area. She emphasised that as police officers they could not fight crime alone and appealed to other community stakeholders to come on board.
“The Imbizo is a platform for the community members to speak out and raise their grievances. We are also open for suggestions or advice from the community on how to tackle crime in the community,” said Ngqele, adding that their aim is to work closely with communities.
According to her, extortion, gender-based violence (GBV) and murder are some of the top crimes in Gugulethu.
Ngqele said their next Imbizo will be at the KTC Hall on Saturday 30 July.
The #NoExcuse mentor Eric Siphezi urged people to stop GBV.
FAN #NoExcuse is a non profit organisation that educates and empowers men about GBV.
Siphezi stated that GBV is affecting both genders.
“We are here to educate and inform people about the dangers of GBV. And we want to emphasise that GBV is affecting both genders. However, in most cases it is men who are abusing and harassing women,” said Siphezi. He stated that they are saying no to crime and GBV.
Siphezi stated that there is no excuse to abuse anyone.
“If your partner cheats on you, leave him or her. Don’t beat her. And we are encouraging men to speak out and not suppress their feelings,” he said.
Gugulethu CPF deputy chair Guffy Dinganto said they are working closely with the police. She said when residents are not satisfied with the service from the station they can contact them to intervene.