Mams CPF starts night patrols early this year
Walk in groups of at least five to 10 people to avoid falling victim to crime.
Following recent power outages in the large parts of Pretoria east and north, the Mamelodi East CPF have been forced to start their winter patrols this week instead of starting in May.
Mamelodi East CPF chairperson Eddie Mnguni said his organisation usually started street patrols in winter because it got dark early and light late.
“We know that criminals take advantage of darkness,” he said, adding that the large-scale outages created circumstances that were similar to winter already.
“Therefore while we are waiting for Tshwane metro and Eskom to fix the pylons and restore electricity, we started patrolling in the early hours of Tuesday.”
He said members of the public had been targeted by criminals on their way to work in the early hours of the morning.
The CPF pleaded with the public to walk in groups in the mornings and evenings to avoid being robbed of their belongings.
Mnguni said CPF members, known as Amabutho, are the ones conducting the annual winter safety patrols “but we have other groups working with them including volunteers”.
“The CPF members patrol mostly identified hotspot areas around Mamelodi and we are working hand in hand with police,” he said.
He said the aim of patrolling the neighbourhood is to keep the community and property safe at all times.
Mnguni further encouraged other areas of Mamelodi to start their own street committees or neighbourhood watches.
He added that the residents of Phomolong in Mamelodi East saw the patrollers and pleaded with the CPF to start a programme in their area, especially on weekends when crime was most prevalent.
“The youth need to get involved in these patrols and start walking their parents, sisters and girlfriends to work in the morning.”
He said to avoid becoming the next victim, the public was advised to walk in groups to avoid being robbed.
“Isolated areas are hotspot areas because criminals hide in the bush to attack anyone walking alone in the dark,” said Mnguni.
“Walk in groups of at least five to 10 people to avoid being robbed or becoming the next victim. We hope people take this message very seriously.
“There is police visibility, but the community must please use alternative routes or walk in groups.
“Most of these crimes occur in the morning and the afternoon when people are going to work,” said Mnguni.
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