Safety ambassadors guard our city

The number of safety ambassadors in the central business district has increased.

Almost every street in the city has safety ambassadors monitoring vehicles. Each of the 100 can be recognised by their orange uniform and orange high-visibility vest.

This is an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) by Ehlanzeni District Municipality.

The programme was started by Nelspruit City Improvement District (CID) more than seven years ago. Past TJ Maré from CID said they are stationed at strategic places in the city.

“All the streets are covered and we have one or two people in an area depending on how many motorists have parked there and the crime statistics in that area.”

Maré said the safety ambassadors have made an impact in the city.

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“When we have our meetings with SAPS, we can see from their feedback that crime is decreasing. These ambassadors fight crime in the streets and they are good ambassadors,” he explained.

“When the programme started we wanted to formalise the car guards in the city. We knew that people would not feel comfortable leaving their vehicle with someone they don’t trust, so before we formalised them we checked their criminal records. So they are all checked, cleared and trained,” he explained.

They are divided into groups and each group has a supervisor.

“The supervisors monitor everyone and they are changed every month, although the safety ambassadors remain in the same area.”

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This project is a service to the community.

“We urge motorists to give safety ambassadors a small donation when they look after their vehicles. The stipend they get monthly is small and it is not a salary,” he added.

Maré also urged the public to take the advice they get from ambassadors into consideration.

“They also give safety tips. Some ask motorists to make sure that they don’t keep their valuables on the seat, but the motorists respond rudely.
“If you put your laptop under a jersey criminals can see, and when they break into the vehicle it is very quick. Don’t leave valuables,” said Maré.