Tafelsig grannies take back the streets
BLOCK WATCH BRIGADE: Grannies from Tafelsig who started a neighbourhood watch. Picture: Rusana Philander BLOCK WATCH BRIGADE: Grannies from Tafelsig who started a neighbourhood watch. Picture: Rusana Philander
The grannies have been living in the area for more than 30 years.
Mildred Kirsten, 57, said: “We are taking our community back. As a community, we are sick and tired of the violence against our children and women. This is why we started the block watch. As the elders here, we don’t want to see any children playing outside later than 7.30 pm.”
Kirsten said they started the block watch after Stacha Arends was killed in March. The 11-year-old was found dead in a field behind the Swartklip Centre in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain.
Beulah Anthony, 63, who is also part of the block watch, said: “We do not allow children to play in the park late at night.
“If we see them playing outside late, we take them home immediately. Because the children can easily get snatched here. This is why we started patrolling this area.
“It is important for us to make our communities safe again, for our children to play in. As the elders in the community we want to see our children just being children again.”