Johannesburg, 03 Jun 2024
Communities in Rustenburg are seeing light at the end of the crime-riddled Bojanala district tunnel, according to Ansie Pretorius, an administrator of the Rustenburg Crime Combating Forum (RCCF).
Not that everything is perfect in Rustenburg regarding crime, but the forum is working tirelessly to protect vulnerable communities living in fear around the Bojanala district. Pretorius says they will stop at nothing until crime stats drop drastically so everyone can live freely.
The North West city is ranked 11th in the cities with the most reported dangerous crime, and unfortunately, it comes first in the province.
When asked what they are doing to combat crime, Pretorius showed a well-crafted board at her entrance gate, with the Evotel signage. She attributes the “Fibre to Everyone” company as a leader in driving them towards safety.
She says the sponsorship and support they receive from Evotel are immeasurable, as they need as much internet connectivity as they can to communicate with their communities at night.
Interestingly, they use an Android free-to-download app called Zello, which works like a two-way radio and relies solely on internet connection, an area of expertise for Evotel.
She further attributed Evotel’s involvement in their group to their growing numbers, now standing at over 6 000 members.
“We welcome new signees to the forum daily, interested in joining and requiring gate boards, which show they are protected by RCCF. The signage is also sponsored by Evotel,” she said, while flanked by forum chairman Kobus Ferreira.
“We are a non-political, non-profit and non-racist body working towards assisting everyone affected by crime in Rustenburg,” said the chairman at the Pretorius home in Rustenburg Central.
“It’s very dangerous living in this city,” added Ferreira, as he demonstrated how the Zello app works. Pretorius, in another room, communicated with him without any signal interruption.
“I must say, the gate boards work well for us, and we need more as everyone wants them. These boards are free for everyone who wants to join the forum. We work with the police, different community policing forums, emergency medical services (EMS) and various security companies.”
When a crime is reported to Pretorius, whose contact details are on the gate boards, she alerts everyone on the Zello app group. Immediately, all members jump out of their houses, wear their Evotel-sponsored reflectors, and charge towards those in need, attempting to rescue the situation.
“We are doing this for free, but we just love protecting communities, and this is thanks to Evotel’s selfless effort to keep us together,” Pretorius added, indicating that their five years of support have gone far, indeed.
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