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VIOLENCE PREVENTION FORUM

Local VPF

The Hoekwil-Touwsranten Community Dialogue is the first local Violence Prevention Forum. It was established in 2021 in the Western Cape after residents of Touwsranten and Hoekwil identified a need for the two neighbourhoods to engage across lines of race and class to create safety and build trust.

Meetings are co-facilitated by local residents, a representative of the South African Police Service, the Institute for Security Studies and a local community-based organisation. Participants of meetings represent the diversity of Hoekwil and Touwsranten, and attend because they have a shared interest in building a safe and prosperous community.

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Community dialogue for safety and prosperity

An assessment

The community dialogue facilitated a number of interventions including addressing challenges with litter and rubbish collection and resolving unsafe and unsanitary toilet facilities for informal households.

The local dialogue also contributed to reducing abuses by a security company.

When a new private security company, the Wilderness Defence Force (WDF), started operating in the area their operations quickly turned into racially biased aggressive confrontations with community members in public spaces. The community dialogue partnered with concerned citizens, local organisations and the police to document and report abuses and report these to the private security regulatory authority (PISRA).

Major General Reddy, the Western Cape Police Ombudsman, attended a local dialogue meeting and informed the community about their rights regarding security guards and the police.

In collaboration with the Western Cape Police Ombudsman, a “Know Your Rights” pamphlet was created. It was translated into English, Afrikaans, and IsiXhosa. The pamphlet was then distributed in the area and shared with local businesses to educate everyone about their rights.

Impact

Two Western Cape towns bridge the poverty and race divide. The people of Hoekwil and Touwsranten recognised their shared desire for safety, and in 2021 they tried something different.

Impact

The Touwswil flea market, a vibrant hub of community interaction, plays a pivotal role in strengthening the relationships between the two communities. It was initiated by a group of dialogue members, providing a space for people from these communities to socialize and generate income through stalls selling food, clothes, and handcrafts.