Member of the Linden Community Association and the Linden Community Policing Forum loves his community
For Tiaan Schutte, looking after those around him is second nature, having been brought up that way, so being a member of various associations in Linden and striving to make the community better is a bit of a no-brainer.
Born and raised in Linden, Tiaan Schutte grew up with the mentality that one should always look after those around them. It is through this notion that he has been an active member of the Linden Community Association (LCA) and the Linden Community Policing Forum (CPF). “I have always been of the mind that I would rather give of my time to help others instead of turning a blind eye,” he said.
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Though he left the suburb for a few years, when he returned, he took great interest in his community. In 2018, he joined the LCA and later became its chairperson from 2021 to 2024. He is now the vice-chairperson, and his portfolio is infrastructure.
He joined the CPF about six years ago and is part of the community in blue, which consists of residents who assist the SAPS as first responders to incidents, such as traffic accidents or housebreakings.
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He recalled that last year, he was part of a CPF team that responded to an armed robbery before the police got on the scene. “We made sure the scene wasn’t contaminated and that the victims were looked after. In such cases, the victims are traumatised, and that’s where the CPF Victims Support Unit comes in, who are doing amazing work and assisting with cases.”
One aspect he would love to see strengthened is community engagement, and he hopes this will begin to change through the work of the LCA committee. “There are many hard-working people in the committee, and they try to get the community as involved as possible.”
The CPF chairperson Annelize Tichauer said the community needed a lot more people like Schutte. “People who care and are active in our communities are what makes the wheels turn,” she said. “He [Schutte] is one of the CPF members that puts all his effort into the community he loves. He is always ready, and he has a tool in his bakkie for anything.”
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