With end-of-year festivities just around the corner, local authorities are pulling out all the stops to bring crime under control.
On Wednesday 16 November, Harare police officers, the Makhaza Community Policing Forum (CPF), the Metro Police and Ward 97 councillor Mthwalo Mkutswana held a crime awareness campaign at Mandela Park stadium as a curtain raisers for the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign to be launched on Friday 25 November.
Wednesday’s event focussed on gender-based violence (GBV) and was designed to show visibility. It also strived to encourage to the community to join the neighbourhood watch. The crew also took to the streets handing out the pamphlets denouncing GBV.
Makhaza CPF chair Funeka Soldaat said it is time for the community to reclaim their streets from the criminals.
“We appealed to the community to be part of our community stakeholders, particularly neighbourhood watch, in order to be able to stop crime. We want to boost the number of patrollers. We need more men to join in,” she said.
Mkutswana highlighted domestic violence, GBV and house break-ins as some of the common crimes in the ward. He urged men to take responsibility for their actions.
“We say no to GBV and domestic violence. As men, need to protect our families. We need to be an example and be at the forefront of all the activities that are happening in our communities,” said Mkutswana.
Harare Police Station spokesperson Capt Siyabulela Vukubi described the campaign as a joint initiative to curb crime ahead of the festive season. He encouraged residents to be vigilant and report any wrongdoing to the nearest police station.
Pamphlets with safety tips on GBV, domestic violence, car hijacking and extortion were distribute in the area
