Mayor Sibiya supports Neighbourhood Watch… Do you?

THE Bible tells us, “Love thy neighbour…”At the recent Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch AGM held last Wednesday night at the Klipkerk, AbaQulusi Mayor, Jerry Sibiya, who graciously made himself available to attend the AGM as an honoured guest speaker for the meeting, commended Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch for doing just that.

Ds Ferdinand van Niekerk opened the meeting with prayer after Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch Chairman, Andrè Rheder welcomed those who attended, including Mayor Sibiya. The presence of the Mayor at the Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch AGM marked an historical moment for the Watch, as this is the first time since the inception of the organisation that a Mayor has attended an AGM.

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Andrè Rheder thanked Mayor Sibiya for this, pointing out with a touch of jest that, not only did he attend the meeting, he also arrived on time. He welcomed him along with AbaQulusi Speaker, Michael Khumalo and Councillors Alta de Kock and Magda Viktor, who also attended.

“As the Bible says,” said the Mayor in his inspiring speech, “you should love your neighbour, and this is exactly what all of you at Neighbourhood Watch are doing by ensuring the safety of your neighbours…”

Mayor Sibiya thanked the members of the Watch for their commitment and dedication to the betterment of Vryheid and highlighted their many contributions to the ongoing fight against crime.

He pointed out that the existence of Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch is a beacon of hope for the future of Vryheid in tough economic times when businesses and families are leaving town due to high levels of crime and the detrimental impact these losses have on our local economy.

It was noted in the following speeches, delivered by Communications Officer, Johan van der Wath, Treasurer, Riaan Lötter and Patrol Commander, Imtiaz Sahib that, of roughly one thousand members of Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch, approximately fifty people took the time to attend the AGM, which was widely advertised well ahead of time in several formats, with the majority of those in attendance being patrolling members who already dedicate a fair amount of their time to patrolling the streets of Vryheid and keeping criminals at bay.

The meeting was concluded with a Q&A session where those in attendance were given the opportunity to address the Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch committee, as well as Mayor Sibiya, with questions and points of concern.

After the AGM, Communications Officer Johan van der Wath released the following notice, including relevant statistics for the last 12 months.

Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch statistics over the past 12 months reveal the following:

– Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch has responded to 181 incidents in the past 12 months, this translates to one incident every second day.

– Patrolling members put in an average of 200 hours a month.

– These patrollers drive an average of 1500km per month.

– Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch has over a thousand members.

– There are more than 800 members on the Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch WhatsApp groups collectively.

Given these statistics, we are left with questions as to why so few members took the time to attend [the] AGM.

We extend our sincere gratitude to those who did attend and we trust that it was an eye-opening experience as to the challenges that we face and the progress we have made in the last year.

As dedicated and committed patrolling members, we sacrifice many hours of our own time to serve the community. However, we need your input as well!

As Communications Officer for Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch, I extend an open invitation to you, as the Vryheid community, to communicate with myself via email, your feelings and thoughts regarding the Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch.

Please let us know where you feel we can improve, what you expect of us or any aspects of our protocol that you agree or disagree with.

All information received will be kept confidential and no person will be victimized for what they have said or recommended.

Please forward your feedback via email to jvdwath74@gmail.com.

No WhatsApp messages or telephonic communications will be taken into consideration

If you have any interesting stories please send them to: estella@caxton.co.za

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