In January he recruited a couple of young men and began patrolling the area from 19:00 to 07:00 every night. “The plan came after several households complained about the theft of the copper water taps, break-ins, and burglaries. “Learners were also complaining about being mugged of their pocket money or school bags early in the morning on their way to school.” He says these incidents motivated him to take a stand to protect the residents in his neigbourhood.

“We look after the Bankuna School area to Plaza and down to the Magdeline area. “We asked the local community to help us buy reflector jackets and work items such as lights. “Fortunately, they contributed, giving us the head start we needed.” Ramodike says there has been a decline in criminality in the area since they started their patrols.

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They recently helped two boys get social welfare assistance after they found them roaming the streets at night with plastic bags stealing food and peanuts from the subsistence farmers. “We are not only focussed on getting people arrested, we care about people’s wellbeing and try to understand their circumstances,” he adds.

He told the Herald that some of the challenges that they face as a group are a lack of proper security training and equipment such as handcuffs. They plead with the community policing forums (CPFs) and the municipality to help them acquire the necessary training and equipment. They also request warm uniforms with winter approaching. Any contributions, money, work clothes, or equipment would help, they say. They are also calling on more people to join their efforts. For more information, contact Tiyani at 066 071 5438.