Mashudu Edwin Tonie is a man who loves his community so
much, that he took it upon himself to keep it safe and crime-free.
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| Edwin Mashudu Tonie, took it upon himself to protect his community. Credit: Ntsako Khosa |
Tonie leads a team of over 30 men who tirelessly protect the community they live in from crime. The team is seen daily, early in the morning and late in the evenings patrolling the streets of Meadowlands, Zone five, a township part of Soweto in Johannesburg.
“I was prompted to start [the Community Policing Forum (CPF)] three years ago. My main aim was to make everybody feel safe,” he says. An alarming rate of nyaope related crimes had occurred in his neighbourhood and he wanted to alleviate this.
His team moves around six streets and they go house to house
to collect donations. In the beginning, getting the community to support him
through donations took a lot of community meetings. “The money buys us security
equipment, such as, walkie talkies, torches, spray guns, etc,” he explains.
Through the tireless patrolling, he believes that nyaope
related crimes are eliminated. “People are now free. It’s working, people are
free to walk anywhere from 3:30am.”
Success of the CPF has spilled over into surrounding communities. “It’s [become] fashionable,” he laughs.
Another success of the street committee is the installation
of street lights and speed humps in one of the streets they patrol. “The main
cause of this was after the death of a child during a hi-jacking. We forced the
government to put them in” he recalls.
To death threats he’s received over the years, he says, “We
weren’t really fazed by them because we have the communities’ best interests at
heart.”
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His team works day and night to ensure safety of citizens. Credit: Ntsako Khosa
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The team he patrols with is made up of unemployed youth. Tonie has expressed that their efforts can help in securing employment as security guards. The initiative forms part of job creation.
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