Inanda's Community Policing Forum says it is determined to combat gang violence and protect local youth from criminal recruitment, despite facing significant risks themselves.
Image: Malvern CPF/Facebook
In a chilling reflection of the dangers facing those on the frontline of community safety, Mboneni Phewa, deputy chairperson of the Inanda Community Policing Forum (CPF), says volunteers are prepared to pay the ultimate price to rescue the historic township from the grip of criminals.
Phewa’s defiant remarks came during a high-stakes public participation engagement in Inanda this week, where the South African Police Service (SAPS) met with residents to discuss the restructuring of local policing.
The Inanda CPF has recently turned its focus toward local schools, where a disturbing trend of child recruitment by criminal syndicates has taken root.
"Gangsters recruit these young children and give them drugs to sell in schools," Phewa revealed, following a visit to a local institution. "We were telling them about the dangers of this and how it’ll ruin their futures."
The vulnerability of the community’s youth is compounded by the extreme risks faced by CPF members themselves, who have frequently become targets of hits. Despite the rising body count among community patrollers, Phewa maintained that retreat is not an option.
"The issue of CPF members being killed is something that has always been there," he said. "We will not allow our beloved Inanda, which carries so much history, to go down the drain. If we give up, we are allowing our women and children to be victims of rape and be killed."
The engagement was part of a province-wide "Station Post Requirement" (SPR) program, sparked by a court order compelling SAPS to involve citizens in how their stations are staffed and led.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda admitted that the police can no longer operate in a vacuum.
"This comes as a result of a court order which compelled the police: don't police people without their involvement," Netshiunda stated. "They must have a say on how they want to be policed."
While the community has called for higher station rankings and more "boots on the ground," SAPS officials pointed to the logistical nightmare of rapid urban expansion. Netshiunda noted that the mushrooming of informal settlements, often built on open spaces without prior planning, forces the police to stretch existing resources to cover new ground.
"Municipality has no choice but to bring water and electricity, and as the police, ours is safety," Netshiunda explained. "With no addition to resources, that means the police will be stretched."
In Inanda specifically, there are growing calls for a dedicated substation to manage the sheer size of the area. While Netshiunda noted that crime numbers in the area are showing "signs of improvement," he emphasized that the ultimate metric is public sentiment.
"We must be pleased with the service we give to the public. If they are happy with our work, then we are happy," he concluded.