MAKING sure that infrastructure and businesses are protected after the recent incidents of looting and destruction in Gauteng and Kwazulu Natal, Community Policing Forums and the business sector from Nelson Mandela Bay metropole immediately rallied together to ensure that such devastation would not happen in their towns or city.
The theme adopted for sending the clear message was: “Not on Our Watch”.
The NMB District Executive CPF and the NMB District Business Community Policing Board mobilised various roleplayers and embarked on an awareness campaign on Saturday, to assure the communities of Kariega, Despatch and Gqeberha that they would not allow any threat of looting or other criminality destroy their city.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, it was heart-warming to see the communities come out in their numbers to support such an initiative.
“A motorcade led by Eastern Cape bikers, security companies in NMB, neighbourhood watches as well as businesses departed from the taxi rank in Kariega and visited various business clusters throughout the metro. They talked to and handed out pamphlets to shoppers encouraging them not to participate in any criminal activities such as lootings and destruction.”
The motorcade was welcomed by positive cheers from the communities. Also supporting this initiative were various businesses, councillors, religious leaders, NGOs, other government and non-government departments, SAPS and Metro Police as well as various mall and shopping centre management.
The NMB District CPF chairman, Ayanda Gcakasi was firm in his stance that this venture is “Against economic destruction. We will not allow any persons to run amok and destroy our malls and infrastructure.
“Such behaviour causes a ripple effect, and our communities will be paying the price in the aftermath of such destruction. We cannot allow our law-abiding citizens to lose their jobs especially when we are fighting another pandemic of COVID 19.
“It is overwhelming to see the NMB metro communities, government and non-government organisations come together to protect their city against any form of criminality. We appreciate the support of the Provincial CPF with special gratitude extended to Tim Hendricks, the Provincial CPF treasurer who together with a team made sure that this campaign was a success and that the message of ‘Not on Our Watch’ resonated throughout the communities and malls.
“The support from the SAPS and the Metro Police indicates that we all stand together against crime,” said Gcakasi.
