- The Philippi community gathered in a mass prayer event, led by the Western Cape Religious Advisory Council, to address rising crime in the area.
- Philippi East Police Station commander Col Nyaniso Mandlana emphasized the importance of trust between police and residents.
- The Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight cited an alarming rise in crime, urging the community to work closely with law enforcement.
Various community stakeholders from Lower Crossroads converged on Beautiful Gate South Africa for a mass prayer against crime on Thursday 24 October.
The service was organised by the Western Cape Religious Advisory Council (WCRAC) with other stakeholders, including government departments.
WCRAC is an organisation for the church leaders in the province whose mandate is to work with different communities to transform and empower them.
Leader of Grace Baptist Church and WCRAC chair Rev Phumzile Stofile described the prayer service as a special event. He said as church leaders they cannot fold their arms while the country is in tatters.
“As a church organisation, we believe that we can’t rely on the officers alone. Crime also needs to be dealt with spiritually. We also encourage people to unite against crime,” he said, adding that they want to bridge the gap between the community and officers.
He stated that as church leaders their role in the community is to keep peace.
Philippi East Police Station commander Col Nyaniso Mandlana described the prayer service as successful. He said the police precinct is volatile.
“Our aim as officers is to build trust with communities so people can trust and rely on us. We want them to trust us so they will be able to report any wrongdoing that is happening in their areas.”
Mandlana described the service as the start of many things to come.
Important role
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais said she believed the faith-based and religious organisations had an important role to play in fighting crime.
She said choosing the path of the righteous cannot mean choosing the path of crime.
“I thank the churches for their role in combating crime in Philippi. But I am here today to talk about the government’s role and vision in combating crime in the Philippi area. The shocking fact is that the Philippi East police precinct is not a large area, yet it houses thousands of people. It is the place in the whole of the Western Cape where crime is increasing the fastest.”
According to Marais, in the first quarter of this year alone in Philippi East murder rose by a whopping 71%.
She said last month the department had doubled up the number of Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers in the area.
“And what we have seen is that the increase in the murder rate has been brought down. We can see a difference is being made. Although we cannot direct the police’s operations I know Philippi is high-priority to them.
“But the officers cannot do it alone. The officers need the eyes and ears of the community, and indeed the people of Philippi must be the eyes and ears of the police. Whenever we see something that is not right we must report it to the police.”
