Chronicle Editor
Tendai Bhebe, Sunday News Reporter
RESIDENTS in Pumula North have joined hands to form a Neighbourhood Watch Committee in a bid to fight the increasing murder cases in the suburb.
The suburb recently witnessed an upsurge in the number of murder cases prompting the residents to engage themselves in an effort to create a crime free environment.
In an interview, Ward 17 councillor, Sikhululekile Moyo said they decided to create the committee as a way of fighting the increasing number of murder cases.
“The reason behind creating the Neighbourhood Watch Committee is to fight against the rising number of murder cases in our community after realising that they are increasing at an alarming rate. We realised that the police alone cannot fight these cases without the help of the community.
“So we decided to have our own team that will work with the police to assist them where and whenever possible. We lost two lives through murder just before Christmas in less than a month and so many people are being attacked in Pumula, a culture that was alien to the residents,” she said.
She said the committee was being trained by the police on the basics and no academic requirements were needed for one to qualify into the team.
“There are no requirements needed to join this committee. We just take their names to the police and they are the ones that will do the vetting. We will then hear from the police those that would have qualified. We are looking forward to this to be something permanent in the area, “she said.
She added that so far they have 10 youths whose names she had submitted to the police and called for more people to join the noble cause saying the area was big.
Last month a disc jockey at a bar in Pumula North was fatally stabbed in a case of mistaken identity by a group of unknown assailants as he walked home from the bar where he was drinking. @TendaiBhebe
derick.khumalo