Her unwavering commitment to community safety, willingness to help others and motivate young people is what led to Richwood Neighbourhood Watch patroller Angela Bartsch being nominated by her fellow members for the upcoming City of Cape Town Neighbourhood Watch Awards, and particularly the prestigious Patroller of the Year Award.
Glenn Marais, neighbourhood-watch chair, dubbed her a “community angel” who does much for the Richwood community and their watch and was proud to nominate her.
Work ethic
“She is an outstanding human being, a dedicated patroller and a humanitarian of note. Despite being a senior citizen, her energy, passion and commitment put many half her age to shame,” Marais declared.
He said Bartsch is the definition of visual, active leadership in the community.
“She wears her neighbourhood-watch regalia with absolute pride, acting as a beacon of safety and unity wherever she goes. She does not just support our watch from afar; she is on the ground, actively participating in patrols and high-risk joint operations with Bothasig police. Whenever we host a function, whether it is one of our community boerewors roll events or station bonding times, Bartsch is the first to step up. She works tirelessly behind the scenes, baking magnificent treats from scratch with tender love and care to thank our officers and using her infectious enthusiasm to motivate and uplift her fellow members.”
He said her watch duties were matched only by her extraordinary humanitarian heart. “Angela looks after our most vulnerable, regularly driving local elderly residents to collect their chronic medication and taking them on grocery shopping trips so they are never left isolated. Her charity work is legendary in Richwood; she cooks meals for the poor, ensures the hungry have a warm plate of food, and consistently collects and delivers clothing, toys and essentials to our local safe house.”
He said Bartsch not only serves the community, but carries it. “Her dedication is on an entirely different level, and she commits to everything she does straight from the heart. As her chair, I could not be prouder to lead alongside her.”
The Bothasig police also wrote a motivating message nominating her for the award.
Bartsch told TygerBurger she was flattered to be nominated but did not feel she deserved it. “I feel like crawling under a rock,” she said jokingly. She said a lot of the work and success of the neighbourhood watch can be ascribed to Marais himself, and she was proud to be a mere volunteer in the organisation working alongside him. She also credited the rest of the volunteers for the watch’s success.
Nominations
The annual Neighbourhood Watch Awards, hosted by the City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate, will take place on 21 November. At the start of the month, the directorate invited neighbourhood watches to nominate members. Through the annual awards, it recognises service excellence, commitment, hard work and the perseverance of hundreds of neighbourhood watches, the City said.
The nomination process closes on Wednesday 30 September.
“We have so many different people and groups who devote their lives to a safer city, some in uniform, others in reflective vests, patrolling their streets night after night. This annual recognition of their efforts, by their peers and their communities, no less, is a small token of our appreciation. I spend many hours patrolling alongside these organisations, and the devotion and dedication I witness is truly inspiring,” said JP Smith, Mayco member for Safety and Security.
For queries on the nomination application process, e-mail nw.awards@capetown.gov.za
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