The South African Police Services (SAPS) are set to collaborate with several Western Cape governmental departments, in a bid to tackle violence and abuse in the community. The campaign, titled “Safety starts in the family”, will seek to emphasize the vital role played by family in tackling violent behavior, particularly amongst the youth. This comes ahead of the launch of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign, aimed at highlighting the scourge of violence against women and children.

The collaboration marks the first time such a partnership has taken place between government and SAPS, and has led to Western Cape Community Safety MEC, Dan Plato, declaring the campaign as ‘historic’. He said government, in particular his department, were determined to work with the police to tackle the scourge of violence against women and children plaguing the community.

“It is very historical and significant that we can begin to work together to fight the scourge of violence in our communities, specifically violence targeting women and children, as a united face,” he said.

Plato said they would seek to the filter the message to the community, that government and the SAPS could show a united from on the issue.

As part of the campaign, the newly formed collaboration will seek to visit several areas across the Cape Flats were such violence is rife, across the duration of the next 16 days.

“We will start this coming Saturday in Mitchell’s Plain, and we will spread this message jointly for the communities to be aware of. I think it is also good for us to showcase how serious we are in this fight, and to get our message across to the broader public of the Western Cape,” he explained.

The campaign will specifically target areas where gang and domestic violence are an endemic issue. It will especially seek to motivate parents into playing a more significant role in the lives of their children, with the intention of driving them away from gangs and domestic abuse.

“The fact of the matter is that many parents are of the opinion that they can’t control their kids. We will try to provide the necessary support to these families, to give them a message of hope, and to encourage them to stand up and take up their responsibilities as parents,” he said.

The drive will officially keep off the coming Saturday in Tafelsig, before visiting several other areas include Beacon Valley and Kraaifontein amongst others. On the 6th December a massive sporting event will be held in Khayelitsha. The campaign concludes on the 10thDecember in Nyanga, with a public march and accompanying event. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)