​Melodious voices of scores of female law enforcement officers permeated the air at the intersection of London Road and the N3 motorway in Alexandra, as the JMPD and their SAPS counterparts marked the end of Women’s Month activities with song and dance during an educational drive.​ The event was organised by the JMPD’s Community Outreach Unit in Region E and involved hordes of stakeholders in law enforcement from around the area raising awareness against GBV and femicide.

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​​Held on Wednesday, 31 August, the educational drive was designed to generate awareness about social crimes affecting women in the local community, and to teach them how to mitigate these.

SAPS Officers and their counterparts in law enforcement maintained high visibility at the intersection, which has been categorized as a hijacking hotspot.

Officers said they wanted to capture the attention of as many women motorists as possible, and to highlight the importance of being alert when driving in the area.

JMPD Officer, Itumeleng Leboho said the law enforcement drive was organised as a way to celebrate women motorists at the end of August, Women’s Month and to encourage their male counterparts to treat them better.

“Women face a lot of social ills in society, with GBV being the biggest pandemic they go through. We want to encourage men to stem the tide,” Leboho said.

The public awareness drive entailed giving women motorists a goodie bag which contained information on how to report GBV, sexual offences, substance abuse and other societal crimes affecting women and children.

“The package we handed out had water, sweets, chocolate and information to assist women report GBV, hijackings and other crimes, while the pamphlets had information to educate men on corrective behaviour to avoid perpetrating GBV,” Leboho​ explained.

Warrant Officer Aron Lebuso, the Sector Manager for SAPS in Sandringham said the day was about appreciating women motorists.

“We not only wanted to show women motorists that we appreciate and love them in this month but we also wanted to educate them about the dangers of the crime of hijacking and to give them tips on how to remain safe and alert while driving in Alexandra,” said Lebuso.

He noted that the event was successful, as more awareness had been raised about GBV and how to report it to the South African Police Service.

Exhibitors on the day included ADT Security, the Gauteng Community Safety department, a guild of the local clergymen and women, interfaith organisations, members of the South African Police Service, officials from the Teddy Bear Foundation, ZSS Security, and other stakeholders from law enforcement agencies that operate in Region E.

31/08/2022