A young student who arrived in Cape Town with hopes for the future recently found himself stranded and robbed in what to him was an unfamiliar city – however, thanks to the swift response of Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District (VRCID) Public Safety Officers and the support of Mould Empower Serve (MES), the young man has now been safely reunited with his family in Gauteng.
Karabo Modise, a student, was found in Parow by VRCID Public Safety Officers after he had been robbed of all his personal belongings. With no immediate support structure in the area, the officers ensured he received assistance and coordinated with social development partners to provide care and shelter, the VRCID said in a statement.
Modise was temporarily accommodated at the MES Centre of Hope in Alexandra Street in Parow, where he received support while arrangements were made to reunite him with his family in Gauteng.
Through collaboration between the VRCID and MES, the reunification was successfully completed, allowing Modise to return home safely, the statement reads.
The VRCID highlighted that this case reflects the broader role their teams play on the ground. While Public Safety Officers are primarily responsible for public safety and crime prevention, they regularly encounter individuals in distress who require social support and intervention.
The VRCID works closely with partners such as MES to ensure that people experiencing crisis situations are connected to appropriate assistance, including shelter placement, social services, and family reunification where possible.
According to Hardus Zevenster, chair of the VRCID board of directors, the case highlights the value of partnerships between safety organisations and social support networks when assisting vulnerable individuals.
“This is a good example of the success of the partnership between the VRCID and MES. If it were not for these two organisations, Karabo would still be on the streets. It also demonstrates that the VRCID acts immediately, within its mandate, without having to navigate endless bureaucratic red tape,” said Zevenster.
He added that while positive outcomes such as this reunification are encouraging, Bellville continues to face significant challenges relating to homelessness and illegal occupation of public spaces.
“Bellville is currently under tremendous pressure in terms of the number of homeless individuals living illegally on City of Cape Town and Prasa land behind the Bellville taxi rank and station. Many of these individuals are illegal foreigners who commit crime daily in the South Street area of Bellville. The City needs to act decisively before the situation gets further out of hand, which many businesses already believe it has.”
Following the successful reunion, Modise’s mother expressed deep gratitude to the organisations that helped her son during a difficult time.
“From myself and the rest of my family, we would like to convey our deepest gratitude to you and your organisation for the kindness and humility you have shown to us. I cannot stop my tears from running down my face as I am typing this. We are so grateful that the world is still blessed with people such as you. We do not even want to think what could have happened to our son if it was not for your generosity, kindness, mercy and compassion. In our moment of distress, you became our answered prayers. God bless you all,” his mother’s message to the VRCID reads.
The successful reunification highlights the impact of coordinated community support and the importance of partnerships between safety teams and social organisations in responding to vulnerable individuals in crisis, the VRCID said.
