Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

Kempton Park neighbourhood watch exchange community-safety knowledge

AfriForum’s Kempton Park neighbourhood watch met with Councillor JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, on Thursday evening, 17 September, to exchange knowledge and practical experience on community safety.

The discussion took place against the backdrop of serious safety challenges in Kempton Park and surrounding areas. Earlier this month, the South African Police Service (SAPS) issued a safety warning after the bodies of four women were found in the Kempton Park area within a period of approximately two months.

By 17 September, it had been reported that the bodies of nine women had been found in different parts of Ekurhuleni. The SAPS established a multidisciplinary task team to investigate the cases and determine whether there is any connection between them.

The discussion with Smith focused on the management of neighbourhood watches, cooperation with law-enforcement agencies, and practical ways in which organised communities can strengthen local safety. The meeting was also attended by Khathutshelo Rasilingwane MPL, the Democratic Alliance’s 2026 mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni.

Smith shared his experience of community safety, neighbourhood-watch structures and cooperation between communities and law-enforcement agencies. In turn, AfriForum’s Kempton Park neighbourhood watch discussed the local safety challenges and the neighbourhood watch’s experience in promoting community safety.

“Community safety knows no municipal boundaries. There is value in communities sharing practical experience and learning from initiatives that have been implemented elsewhere. This engagement provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge on neighbourhood watches, community involvement and cooperation between relevant safety structures. We appreciate Councillor Smith’s willingness to share his experience and would like to identify relevant approaches that could contribute to a safer Kempton Park,” says Ernest Hoddinott, Head of Safety at AfriForum’s Kempton Park branch.

Cape Town already has established structures for cooperation with communities. Earlier in September, the City hosted its annual information session for neighbourhood watches, attended by 101 neighbourhood watches and 250 participants. The session focused, among other things, on the role of neighbourhood watches, safe reporting, information sharing and cooperation with the City’s law-enforcement agencies.

The City also recently opened its new Joint Public Safety Operations Centre (JPSOC) in Goodwood. This centre brings the City’s policing resources and safety technology together in one location to improve the coordination of operational activities and responses.

AfriForum’s Kempton Park neighbourhood watch will further explore the relevant lessons from the discussions and will continue to strengthen its cooperation with local safety stakeholders and law-enforcement agencies.