Communities unite to face adversity
The Wentworth Bowling Club was part of the many hands that made light work during the unprecedented occasion.
WHILE things seemed to be falling apart in many parts of the province, residents of wards 66 and 68 showed a united front during the week of unrest in July.
Bluff, Wentworth, and Merebank communities banded together to successfully secure their suburbs from protesters. Ideas and resources were put together in the name of the greater good of the community.
The Wentworth Bowling Club was part of the many hands that made light work during the unprecedented occasion. The club offered its premises as headquarters for the controllers who were communicating with patrollers.
It would later be discovered that these wards were among the few unscathed in Durban – with not a single business looted. The club’s kitchen was used to prepare about 700 meals a day to feed the patrollers lunch and supper during the week.
Club caterer, Renise Dunn led a group of about 10 people in the kitchen who helped with the prepping and chopping.
“We had to remain calm and organised and work as a team. We had to plan the meals daily to ensure that there would be enough food to cater to everyone. We served meals that would go a long way. The menu ranged between chicken stew, samp, and beans, mince curry, vetkoek, mutton curry, and biryani,” said the passionate cook.
Cash and ingredients for the meals were donated by the community. The club was also kept open throughout the week and provided a coffee station with biscuits and fresh sandwiches for patrollers. Club president, Cheryl Waterman, said they were very proud to have served the community and have played a part in keeping it safe during this unsettling time.
“There was an incredible response from the community who arrived to donate cash, groceries, vegetables, and some cooked meals to help feed our heroes on the ground. Cooked meals arrived from the Sodurba members, Tarryn Bell, Whole in One, and two lovely women who dropped off a huge cheesy mushroom pasta dish and disappeared before we could get their names,” she said.
She thanked everyone who was involved and the ward 66 councillor, Zoe Solomon, who was in between the meetings demanded by her responsibility to the Bluff Bluff CPF chairman, Andy Rossell, who said one can never ever underestimate what communities can do. He thanked the Wentworth patrollers who formed a buffer zone between the Bluff.
“The experience really united our communities and from now on, the Bluff, Merebank, and Wentworth areas including Jacobs and Clairwood remain on a united front. We had put up a lot of barricades in the area to protect our area. The community came out in force to protect their houses and investment, that was the bottom line,” he said.
He said the CPF is now looking to establish a control centre to be manned 24/7. This would be possible through investments and donations. “We’re not sure where it’ll be housed as yet but we are looking at various options. With this centre, we hope to get the youth involved with all operations,” he added.
