A hero in the community
“There were strings of murders and the community was on its knees,” he said.
Dubbed Zandspruit’s hero, Kenneth Lekalakala has been looking after the community of Zandspruit since his retirement.
This resident of 28 years started fighting crime almost two decades ago when the informal settlement was under siege from vicious criminal elements.
He told Northsider that in about 2007, when the population of foreign nationals began to grow rapidly, criminality reared its ugly head.
“There were strings of murders and the community was on its knees,” he said.
“I was then approached by a group of women who asked me to help combat the persisting crime in the area. I didn’t know where to start, but change was needed,” he said.
Kenneth said he mobilised a group of committed men with whom he began patrolling the streets of Zandspruit.
“I convened a meeting with the men to help out. We then patrolled around the area and when perpetrators were caught we would hand them over to the police,” he explained. “With these men, we managed to root out criminals and those that were colluding with them.”
He added that he was also the type of leader who did not promote violence when it occurred. “In situations where fed-up community members wanted to take the law into their own hands, I would discourage that behaviour and tell them that it was not the right solution,” he explained.
Among numerous other activities, Kenneth has led anti-crime and service-delivery marches to the local police stations where they would demand action from the police against uncurbed criminal activities.
On a lighter note, he also promotes safety at local pre-schools and talks to children who undoubtedly enjoy his visits.
