Newly appointed chairperson of Sebenza CPF takes the lead

With a passion to help others and create a stronger community, Devan Naicker hopes to strengthen the community as well as the relationships between the community and law enforcement.

Naicker, an Esther Park resident, was recently elected chairperson of the Sebenza CPF.

In September, the Sebenza CPF held its AGM where its new committee was elected.

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Established in 2013, the CPF has been running for 11 years.

According to Naicker, the new team is excited and enthusiastic about starting to work with the community.

“One of the challenges we previously experienced was that nothing was formalised in terms of the structure.”

According to Naicker, one of his key objectives is to formalise the structure and establish it as an NPO. He intends on establishing the CPF in such a way that if a new chairperson is elected all the necessary paperwork and documentation are in place.

Once all paperwork is in place, Naicker hopes to be able to create a safer community by partnering with businesses, stakeholders and law enforcement.

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He said one of the CPF’s roles in the community is to ensure that due process is followed by the police.

“Officers need to be respectful to the community and community members need to respect police officers.

“We give back in terms of cooperation, by being the ears and eyes for the police in the community so that there is less irregular behaviour in the community,” said Naicker.

He said as the CPF the forum will not only be working with SAPS but with other law enforcement bodies and stakeholders such as ward councillors.

Speaking about his drive to uplift his community, Naicker said it all started with his father who was a community leader.

“I watched and learned during that time by being around my father,” he said.

Naicker explained that in Grade 11 he was one of the learners elected to represent the school at a Rotary leadership programme.

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“I honed my skills in leadership and that’s when things started developing. I learned how to manage finances, create relationships, how to build financial structures as well as how to get money and manage it.”

Following the leadership programme, Naicker set out to develop an indigent programme for underprivileged learners at the school.

“I wanted to build a financial base for the school.”

Naicker raised R120 000 by hosting a concert. This was followed by a debutant ball which raised R380 000.

Afterwards, Naicker approached the school and asked management to invest it so that it could be used to develop the school.

“I think 10 years after I left school a new gymnasium was built.”

Naicker said although the new CPF is enthusiastic he said many members are still on a learning curve.

With this in mind, Naicker intends to see that forum members are trained and upskilled during their time with the CPF.

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By doing this Naicker hopes to ensure that already existing skills are refined and that succession development can occur in the forum.

For more information about the CPF or to join it, email info@sebenzacpf.co.za