By Tamzyn Degoumois, Roza Carvalho and Vuyo Tshekela
Our community meeting was held on Sunday 18 October at the NG Kerk Hall, in Hillsview, Grahamstown. Through the various media we had created about crime in the Hillsview, Sunnyside and Fort England area we aimed to generate discussion around possible community solutions.
Some of the main points of debate were impersonal and isolated nature of the community and how community engagement and building on a daily basis might be desirable, but unrealistic. For example, while some community members mentioned that they would like to help the people who come to their doors, they feel unsafe doing so. However, perhaps the most interesting moment in the meeting was when a resident spoke about the issue of men, their frustration at unemployment and lack of skills training, and how this is a social cause of crime in the community. This spoke to a general feeling that men have been emasculated, often feeding into issues like domestic violence and other crimes. The possible solution proposed was a skills training programme and a possible community fund to pay people within the area for odd jobs.
The following clip is an excerpt from the resident’s response.