Alexandra residents, civil society organisations, and community leaders gathered at AlexSan Kopano on June 2 for a Community Safety Dialogue aimed at confronting rising crime and building sustainable peace in the community.

The event, hosted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) in partnership with the Alex Peace Ambassadors, focused not only on identifying problems but on empowering residents with practical tools to address them.

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Lethabo Motloung, a mental health practitioner at CSVR, emphasised that the dialogue sought to move beyond merely highlighting violence. “Yes, we have pinpointed the violence, gender-based violence, domestic violence,” she said, “but now, what can community members do for themselves to combat this?”

Motloung explained that CSVR’s approach centres on community-led mapping exercises, helping residents identify local challenges and leverage their own resources. “We help them map it out for themselves so that they can also have the capacity to say ‘now that we have mapped it out, how can I combat it using my own social capital, my own assets and resources?’”

Thabo Mopasi of the Alex Peace Ambassadors said the event laid the groundwork for deeper collaboration. He noted that the two organisations plan to formalise their partnership through a memorandum of understanding, followed by an ambitious programme to train about 500 young people.

“Many young people are going adrift; we want to bring them on board,” Mopasi said. He said the programme will use sports, art, culture, music, and theatre as entry points, combined with induction workshops and direct engagement with community leaders.

The ultimate goal is to reduce crime levels in Alexandra by redirecting youthful energy toward positive contributions.

Attendees described the session as informative and eye-opening. “I am new here in Alexandra, but I have experienced a couple of problems already. There is a lot of crime and alcoholism; people drink almost every day,” resident Mapule Maila said, noting that there is a need for targeted interventions and greater awareness.

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Another resident, Lathitha Mtolo, said she was surprised to learn that public drinking is illegal. “I don’t think it will end because it has been happening for a while,” she added. “It is not something that can be dealt with and ended immediately.” Her comments underscored the need for behavioural change and long-term strategies.

The dialogue forms part of broader efforts to strengthen collaboration between community structures to foster lasting improvements in safety and social cohesion in Alexandra.

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