Murder sparks watchful eyes

GEORGE NEWS - The recent death of a friend and fellow Lawaaikamp resident, Nkosinathi Mntonga (34), was the spark that ignited Lawaaikamp's first successful neighbourhood watch.

Officially known as Iliso Lomzi - the eye watching over the community - the group of about 50 patrol members have already confiscated numerous dangerous weapons and stolen items since June this year.

"In the past, there have been many attempts to launch patrol initiatives, but due to various factors they were unsuccessful," says Luthando Nogqala, chairperson of the new neighbourhood watch.

"We cannot ignore and hide from the fact that Lawaaikamp is a society troubled with many social ills. Our community is under siege from drug operations and gangsterism. Children from as young as 10 years old start using drugs and join gangs."

According to Nogqala every child in Lawaaikamp is at risk of either becoming a drug addict or a gang member - unless some serious intervention takes place.

The neighbourhood watch members have confiscated various dangerous weapons in Lawaaikamp in the last three months.

Iliso Lomzi has been active for three months and is currently in the process of being registered with the Department of Community Safety (Docs). Their members patrol every weekend from Friday to Sunday from 20:30 until the early hours of the morning and are also active during the day.

"We are a group of young men and women trying to keep our streets safe. During patrols, we have encountered so many gangs where we confiscated weapons and drugs. We also confiscated stolen goods as they form part of the criminal activities. "We encourage all able residents to take part in this great initiative to safeguard our community," said Nogqala.

For more information, to join the neighbourhood watch or to help with sponsorship, contact Nogqala on 072 319 8762 or the secretary, Zuko Njokweni, on 084 442 2849.

Some of the weapons that have been confiscated by members of Iliso Lomzi.