20090504 street committee project - vukukhanye · office contact details telephone: ... vukukhanye...

Vukukhanye/Street Committee Project: Chesterville/ Proposal, April 2009… of 9

I. PROJECT TITLE: Chesterville Street Committee Project

II. ORGANISATION NAME: Vukukhanye

III. POSTAL ADDRESS

P.O Box 567

Westville

3630

KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa

IV. PHYSICAL ADDRESS

Suite 17B Westville Centre

52 Norfolk Terrace

Westville, 3629

KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa

V. CONTACT PERSONS

� CEO Vukukhanye - Anthony van der Meulen

Telephone: +27 (0)31 266 2288 Cell: 083 233 2924

Email: [email protected]

� Chesterville Residents Association - Floyd Ngcobo

Cell: 083 310 2213


� Programme Steering Committee - Peter Watt

Telephone: +27 (0)31 266 5316 Cell: 083 779 3872


VI. OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS

Telephone: +27 (0)31 266 2288


Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5115

Website: http://www.vukukhanye.org

STREET COMMITTEE PROJECT Community Safety Initiative: Chesterville


1. BACKGROUND (See Vukukhanye Summary Profile)

Vukukhanye is a Public Benefit Organisation concerned with the support and upliftment of

vulnerable and underprivileged individuals, families and communities. Our strategic focus

(10 year plan) is the holistic development of the community of Chesterville, in Cato Manor,

KwaZulu-Natal. Vukukhanye is presently engaging with various stakeholders (community,

government business and civil society) in the implementation of a Community Safety

Initiative, targeting the community of Chesterville. The principles underpinning the Community

Safety Initiative are based on a document commissioned by the South African Government

and compiled by the National Crime Prevention Centre (SAPS), the CSIR Crime Prevention

Centre and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) entitled “A Manual for Community Based

Crime Prevention – Making South Africa Safe” (2000). The Ethekweni Metro Council’s crime

prevention strategy (“Durban Safer City Strategy: 2000”) is also aligned with this manual. This

Street Committee Project forms part of the above-mentioned Community Safety Initiative.

2. MOTIVATION

There can be little doubt that one of the key factors in South Africa at present is the issue of

crime; most especially, violent crime. It has been mooted that the resuscitation of Street

Committees will be a practical step in the fight against this scourge of crime.

A recent report (South Africa – The Good News, 19 May 2008) by the MEC of the Western

Cape, Leonard Ramatlakane, has revealed a 32% reduction in contact crimes in the Western

Cape (contact crimes referring to attempted murder, rape, assault and aggravated

robbery). According to Ramatlakane, "In the last five years, we have seen increasing

numbers of our communities expressing a willingness to participate in crime prevention

ventures.” The report goes on to explain “that public involvement had contributed

significantly to the reduction in contact and drug-related crime”. The MEC expressed his

belief that “the co-ordinated efforts of Community Policing Forums, Community Based

Organisations and Neighbourhood Watch programmes had resulted in impressive and

effective crime-fighting partnerships. Since 2002 the Western Cape Department of

Community Safety has mobilised 188 Community Policing Forums, 12 Community Safety

Forums, 2000 victim support volunteers in 168 police stations around the province and trained

8000 ‘Bambanani Against Crime’ volunteers.”

Given Vukukhanyes long relationship with Chesterville, the historic success of Street

Committees in this community, and the available experience and desire among Chesterville

civic leaders; the strategy of formally implementing Street Committees is being pursued.

1. These Street Committees will be integrated and cooperate with existing legislative

frameworks and legal structures such as SAPS, community policing forums, ward committees

and local councillors. The day-to-day operation of the Committees will be guided by a

‘Policies and Procedures Manual’, which will be a practical help to community members, but

will also facilitate the role-out of Street Committees in other communities, once a successful

model is established in Chesterville.


3. TARGET POPULATION - CHESTERVILLE

This project will target the historically disadvantaged community (‘township’) of Chesterville.

Chesterville (part Ward 24 & Ward 29) is located in the Cato Manor region of the Ethekwini

Metropolitan Area, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The population of Chesterville is approximately

42,000 (Stats SA, 2001). Despite the progress

made since South Africa’s democratic elections

in 1994, characteristics of this community still

include widespread poverty, unemployment, a

high prevalence of HIV infection, and

unacceptable levels of crime (including theft,

assault hijacking, rape and murder). Also

prevalent is domestic violence, child abuse and

neglect.

Chesterville

Cato Manor

Key:

Cato Crest

Westville

Bellair

Ridgeview

Umkumbaan

Wiggins

Bonela

Sherwood

Maryvale

Roosfontein

Hillary


4. OBJECTIVES & FUNCTIONS

See attached ‘Street Committees Policies & Procedures Manual’ for more detail.

4.1 Objectives

The primary objective of Street Committees is to involve the community of a particular area in

creating a happy, peaceful and productive environment by encouraging community

members to take a greater interest in, and responsibility for, their community.

The success of Street Committees hinges on community involvement and effective

communication with local government departments, including, police, social welfare,

infrastructure services etc.

The following foundations are critical to achieve the stated objectives:

• Involvement of the community.

• Formalisation of communication structures for information to and from the community.

• Creation of a platform for teamwork and cooperation within the community.

• Structured protocol to lodge concerns, obtain information and create accountability when

dealing with challenges that require solutions.

4.2 Functions

The main function behind the formation of the Street Committees is to combat crime through:

• The provision of information

• Collective identification of suspects

• Cooperation with policy services

• Early identification and prevention of crimes

Street Committees should be encouraged to go beyond this by engaging in other socio-

economic activities in their communities, which include:

• Prevention and resolution of domestic violence

• Social welfare issues e.g. orphans, disabled, elderly, etc.

• Liaison with local business people

• Youth and Women empowerment

• Education

The increased interest of the community in all these matters that are of collective interest has a

significant impact. It must be noted that the community should be encouraged to not only

identify problems and hold the relevant government departments accountable but to also

seek creative solutions in partnership with government and business. This requires commitment

and volunteerism, but these are the ingredients needed to build and strengthen our great

nation.


5. STRUCTURE

5.1 Overview of Structure

CO: Central Office

5.2 Street Committees

Street Committees are formed by members of a particular street and form the base of the

structure. The Street Committees deal with issues that affect their street and provide a network

of people on the ground. The members of the street report issues of concern relating to crime

or other social issues to the Street Committees who are responsible for escalating the issues to

the Area Committee and Central Office (CO).

5.3 Area Committees

Area Committees are formed by members from the Street Committees in a demarcated area.

The Area Committees deal more with issues that affect that area as a whole rather just the

street and may include aspects such as community facilities, general infrastructure issues such

as water, sanitation and electricity. The Area Committees may also include key representatives

and role players in the specific area; these may include representatives of churches, businesses,

schools, sports structures, etc.

5.4 Central Office

There is a strong need to centralize the coordination of the street committees and hence the

need for a central office. The central office is responsible for managing administration,

coordination, financial management, communication, log critical issues raised by the

community as well as facilitate meetings with key decisions makers responsible from key service

delivery issues e.g. Crime via the Community Policing Forum, Social Welfare, Area Based

Management, Sport & Recreation, etc.

It is helpful for the central office to have space to hold meetings and undertake training

sessions with the community. The office could be provided by a local business or government

department. The Chesterville Residents Association has identified a full-time Operations

Manager who is presently assisting with the coordination of projects in Chesterville, including

Street Committees.

CO

AREA COMMITTEES

STREET COMMITTEES


6. PARTNERSHIPS & TEAM-WORK

Street Committees are important structures which fulfill a key role in creating strong

communities. Fundamental to its success is a team of community members who passionately

desire to build a strong community. Those involved should encapsulate the highest levels of

integrity and professionalism and possess a clear focus on the interests of the community rather

than on individual goals.

Civic organisations often provide a sound platform on which to build a team which can and

should include individuals from business, government, religious institutions and credible NPO’s.

Often the best people are those who have shown a strong commitment to the community in

the past and have a track record of community involvement. It is important to note that

community teams should preferably not be built on political affiliation but rather on community

representation.

With the above in mind, a team is being formed, which we believe has both the expertise and

passion required to play a part in this process of establishing, building and maintaining Street

Committees. The team presently includes the Chesterville Residents Association (local civic

organisation), Vukukhanye (PBO), business leaders, church leaders, community policing forum

(CPF) representatives, and the South African Police Services (SAPS):

CURRENT STREET COMMITTEE TEAM

Wewe Ngcobo Chesterville Residents Association (Chairman)

Jabu Mkhize Chesterville Residents Association (Security)

Zamo Ngobese Chesterville Residents Association (Secretary)

Siphiwe Qwabe Operations Manager (Chesterville Residents Association)

Peter Watt Pastor at Westville Christian Fellowship

Terry Rosenberg Businessman; liaison with business and government

Supt Singh Station Commander, Westville Police Station

Kevin Harvey CPF Chairperson - Westville

Mr Ndlovu CPF Chairperson - Westville

Mervin Maistry Former Magistrate; Attorney

Lenny Abrahams Former SAPS Detective with degree in Police Science

Michael v.d Meulen Vukukhanye Board, Westville CPF

Willa Fourie Community & Church Worker


7. PROJECT PLAN OVERVIEW

Fig. 1: Street Committee Overview Flow Diagram

A communication and training specialist has been co-

opted to formulate training materials and guidelines which

will guide the implementation process. These include a

‘Facilitators Training Pack’, ‘Community Meeting Toolkit’,

‘Street Meeting Toolkit’ and ‘Induction Training Materials’.

A Street Committee Brochure has also been designed, to

be used as a communication & education tool (see

attached draft brochure).


8. PROJECT PLANNING, ROLE-OUT & MONITORING TOOLS

8.1 Aerial View of Chesterville (Showing Phase 1 of Street Committee Role-Out)

Fig. 2: Phase 1 of Street Committee role-out

8.2 Co-ordination & Monitoring

To facilitate co-ordination and safety mapping, a ‘Geographic Information System (GIS)

Mapping & Relational Database Tool’ is being investigated.

Fig. 3: Example of a Street Committee Zone

Specific Statistics for the Chesterville area are not available, as available statistics reflect

crime in the broader Cato Manor region. It is an intention of this Programme to establish and

track trends in crime levels in Chesterville over time.

Phase I


9. BUDGET – STREET COMMITTEE PROJECT (2008/9)

A. EXPENSES BUDGET (YEAR 1 - 2008/9)

A1. Central Office & Management R 161,600

Office Equipment, IT & Furniture R 20,000

Printing, Stationery & Postage Brochures, manuals & training materials R 12,000

Electricity & Water R500/month (12 months) R 6,000

Telephone R1,500/month (12 months) R 18,000

Office Manager (Admin Support) R3,800/month (12 months) R 45,600

Operations Manager 50% of R10,000/month (12 months)* R 60,000

(*other 50% in 1-Stop budget)

A2. Stipends & Fees R198,000

Translation, Legal & Other Fees Provision R 30,000

Facilitators Stipends (6 months only) 10 Facilitators @ R1000/month (6 months) R 60,000

Facilitators Stipends (ongoing) 2 Facilitators @ R1000/month (12 months) R 108,000

A3. Promotion to Community, Launch & Induction R 32,000

Launch & Induction R 10,000

Street Committee Meetings R12,000

Initial Bulk Printing 5000 Brochures + Manuals & Training Materials R10,000

A4. Equipment & Other expenses R 8,500

Loud-haler 1 large R2,500

Petrol R500/month (donated vehicle required) R 6,000

B. FUNDS REQUIRED A1 + A2 + A3 + A4 + = R400,100

20090504 street committee project - vukukhanye · office contact details telephone: ... vukukhanye...

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