Project Nehemiah implemented in East Rand

AfriForum launched the implementation of Project Nehemiah (a strategy against violent crime) on the East Rand over the past weekend. During the planning session, representatives focused on various aspects to curb crime on the East Rand and to support communities in making themselves more defensible through better organisation.

“Communities must take responsibility for their own safety. By working together, communities can proactively guard themselves, which is exactly the aim of Project Nehemiah,” says Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety.

Cameron explains that the inherent operational abilities of different communities can be coordinated strategically through this strategy to curb violent crime.

“We want to focus on the promotion of cooperation between the different safety organisations from different communities to give people hope to stand up against crime,” Cameron says.

Nine AfriForum neighbourhood watches, South Africa United Against Crime, representatives from community policing forums and security firms on the East Rand, many safety structures and the SAPS partook in the planning session.

“Communities have to organise themselves and get involved to ensure their safety. We cannot rely on the SAPS only for safety, because, unfortunately, they do not have the capacity to do it. That is why organised communities are so important,” says Hillel Coetzer, AfriForum’s Safety Coordinator for the northern region.

Join your local AfriForum neighbourhood watch today: SMS “Buurtwag” to 45342 (R1).