Roodepoort women keep their community safe
Captain Juanita Yorke, spokesperson for the Roodepoort Police, was also at the event and addressed the crowd on the serious issue of gender-based violence.
While society has come a long way in their views on gender equality, there is always more work to be done. The delicate and dainty nature associated with women can sometimes be to their detriment, especially in the security and emergency service industries.
There are hundreds of thousands of strong, intelligent, and capable women who put their lives on the line every day to keep their communities safe, despite these platforms largely being regarded as male-dominated.
To raise awareness of a woman’s participation and active involvement within neighbourhood watch platforms and emergency services, various Roodepoort women gathered at the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch (RNW) ops room for a joint women’s patrol on Saturday, 29 August.
The joint women’s patrol was organised by Kristy Long, Elmien Parker, Nix van Rooyen and Debbie Rothmann who are dedicated members of their local neighbourhood watch groups, RNW and the Helderkloof Neighbourhood Watch (HKNW).
Female members of RNW, HKNW, the Wilro Park Lions Club, Dowry, Absolut Security, Help24, BCI, and the Roodepoort Police arrived in numbers and dressed up to serve their community. These women were also joined by various male patrollers who had offered to help wherever they were needed and provide their support.
Apart from the patrol, a few educational speeches were also presented outside of the RNW ops room so that the women in attendance would be able to spread the message of empowerment and teach others important tips on how to safeguard not only themselves, but the people around them.
Captain Juanita Yorke, spokesperson for the Roodepoort Police, was also at the event and addressed the crowd on the serious issue of gender-based violence.
RNW Head Patroller, Martin Lombard, tried to contribute to making sure each woman knew how to be as safe as possible by giving a short and informative speech on situational awareness when it comes to parking your car or approaching your home.
Another supportive man who attended the event was the Roodepoort Community Policing Forum (CPF) Secretary, Piet Grove. Piet also provided assistance where he was needed and addressed the group on the importance of neighbourhood watch groups and CPFs.
After an afternoon of empowerment, the women conducted a very successful, high-visibility patrol through the area. Debbie expressed her immense gratitude to the women who sacrifice their time, and often put their personal safety at risk to help the people in their community. “Thank you for putting your heart out there and deciding that we can make a difference. You ladies are gems, diamonds, and our community should be so proud that you make yourself available not only today but every day with hand and hearts ready to serve,” she said.
