Residents opened their hearts to donate to a baby girl born in mid-September, whose mother died on 23 September.
In the presence of her father, the Newlands’ girl received gifts of clothes, toys and food parcels from different community patrol groups and Community Policing Forums.
Gerda Lourens, the chairperson of the Newlands Community Patrol Group (NCP) said the mother died of natural causes but was also robbed after she passed away in the street.
Lourens said after their call for donations, within hours they received their first delivery from different groups across Johannesburg, including Florida and Booysens CPFs.
Lourens thanked every patroller and residents from Newlands, Bosmont, Booysens, Claremont, Melville, Sophiatown, Westbury, Westdene, Northcliff, Edenvale, and Florida who made the donation possible.
She said, “Recalling the situation and the togetherness of us gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes again.”
Lourens thanked ER24 personnel for responding to the scene and keeping the girl safe while chaos was happening around her.
Lourens also thanked the NCP and Bosmont Community Patrol patrollers who assisted.
She said she is very proud of Bianca Kock, the Newlands Community Patroller who coordinated the collection of clothing donations.
“True unity, Ubuntu, was on display and we as NCP group are proud to be called South Africans, proud to serve our country in the small ways that we can, but also knowing that in a time of need our patrol brothers and sisters and neighbouring communities can and will stand together with us. In unity we will stand against crime and together we will reach our goals.”
The woman will be buried at her home in the Free State.
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