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.

Community dialogue for safety and prosperity
An assessment
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).
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.