News / Stories

NEWS / STORIES

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE YZER CHALLENGE 2024 GRAND PRIZE WINNERS!

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch Yzer Challenge 2024! A big round of applause to these amazing participants for their incredible efforts:

Chris van Niekerk – Winner of the R1,000.00 cash prize with compliments from Built It Yzerfontein.

Lesley Opeka & Ansie Prinsloo – Each winning R300.00 cash prizes with compliments from Shalom Payroll.

Karel Munnik – Winner of the Oakdale butter hamper with compliments from Oakdale Dairy.

Erik Koekemoer – Winner of the Monarch Coffee hamper with compliments from Monarch Coffee Cartel.

Your participation and spirit truly made this challenge a success, and we couldn’t be prouder of our community! A heartfelt thank you to our incredible sponsors – Built It Yzerfontein, Shalom Payroll, Oakdale Dairy, and Monarch Coffee Cartel – for their generous contributions. Your support not only brought joy to our winners but also reinforces the efforts of the Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch to keep our beautiful town safe and thriving. Thank you to everyone who participated, supported, and contributed to making this year’s Yzer Challenge unforgettable. Together, we continue to make Yzerfontein a wonderful place to call home.

Chris van Niekerk – Winner of the R1,000.00 cash prize with compliments from Built It Yzerfontein

Liam receiving the prize on behalf of Karel Munnik – Winner of the Oakdale butter hamper with compliments from Oakdale Dairy

Lesley Opeka – Winner of the R300.00 cash prize with compliments from Shalom Payroll

Erik Koekemoer – Winner of the Monarch Coffee hamper with compliments from Monarch Coffee Cartel

Ansie Prinsloo – Winner of the R300.00 cash prize with compliments from Shalom Payroll

ENHANCING SAFETY: NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH DISTRIBUTES KEY HOLDERS WITH EMERGENCY NUMBERS TO VULNERABLE RESIDENTS

In an inspiring step towards fostering safety and security within our community, Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch (YNHW) has initiated a thoughtful project aimed at supporting vulnerable residents. This new effort, jointly managed by Pieter van der Linde, representing Yzerfontein Dutch Reformed Church and Alfie van Litsenborgh from Yzerfontein Armed Response (YAR), involves distributing specially designed key holders that contain vital emergency numbers, ensuring that help is just a phone call away when it is needed most.

The project, a lifeline in times of need, recognizes that vulnerable members of our community that may face challenges in quickly accessing emergency contacts during critical moments. By providing these key holders, which double as a practical tool and a resource, the initiative aims to bridge this gap. Beyond providing these key holders, YNHW is using the project to raise awareness about emergency preparedness and emphasize the importance of knowing who to call in an emergency.

Each key holder is compact and user-friendly, featuring prominently displayed emergency contact numbers, such as YNHW, YAR, SAPS Darling and Swartland Municipality Emergency Centre for all type of emergencies.

Anyone that could benefit from this initiative, are welcome to reach out to Pieter van der Linde or Alfie van Litsenborgh.

The key holders are proudly sponsored by Allison Airey-Spengler, Property Practitioner with RE/MAX Property Associates. The generous sponsorship highlights the power of collective action and community support to make our community safer, more connected, and better prepared to handle emergencies.

RE/MAX PROPERTY ASSOCIATES SUPPORTING YNHW

YZERFONTEIN NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH GRATITUDE FOR GENEROSITY: HONOURING A NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH BENEFACTOR

Since our first home in Yzerfontein 24 years ago we have committed to supporting the various initiatives in and for the community.

It has been our pleasure to donate to, or be involved in the CANSA walks, The Snoek Derby, The Yzerfontein Cycle experiences which donated hundreds of thousands of rands to charities and the Yzerfontein challenges.

This year we felt it our duty to commit to the safety and security of the community, and it is our absolute pleasure to donate the 15 new radios and thermal night scope to the Yzerfontein Neighbourhood watch in appreciation for the incredible service which they offer to all of Yzerfontein.

Gavin and Denise Levy of The Beach House Collection

YZERFONTEIN NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH SPONSORED WITH REFLECTIVE MAGNETIC CAR DOOR SIGNS

The Neighbourhood Watch Accreditation and Support Programme that empowers everyday citizens to be the eyes and ears of the police are strengthened by the support of local businesses such as Seeff Properties in Yzerfontein.

Seeff Properties sponsored the Neighbourhood Watch with much needed reflective magnetic car door signs and on 24 October 2022 Mrs Michelle Livingstone-Louw presented the reflective magnetic car door signs to the day patrol members, Mr Pieter le Roux and Mr Abrie Coetzee. Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch is sincerely grateful for the much needed car door signs that will help with the visibility and identification of the neighbourhood watch patrols during the day.

Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch is like the West Coast fog, always there….. to care!

YZERFONTEIN NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH CARES

Article by Johan Conradie | Photo credit Pieter van der Linde | Editorial Support by Gillian Barber

The Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) Accreditation and Support Programme is aligned to Section 6 of the Western Cape Community Safety Act of 2013 and is a model that is based on encouraging and getting the whole community involved to prevent crime in support of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The NHW Accreditation and Support Programme, which started in 2016, is a programme that empowers everyday citizens to be the eyes and ears of the police. Citizens in a community usually know what is happening on the ground before the police do, and they have the capability to prevent and respond to crime and violence in their communities at very short notice. The SAPS support the NHW initiative, as the concept is based on the theory that criminals will more than likely be deterred, if they are aware that local residents are on the alert and ready to report suspicious behaviour.

Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch (YNHW) was established in 2011, with Fred de Beer elected as the first Chairman. The relatively high crime rate that had been experienced in Yzerfontein and in the surrounding towns motivated the community to respond by establishing a NHW to combat crime. In 2015, YNHW was the second biggest NHW in the Vredenburg Police Cluster, and incidents had shown a remarkable decline. For the period 2014/2015, less than 10 incidents were recorded in Yzerfontein, while criminal activities continued to be rife in surrounding towns.

The Chairman YNHW, Koos Liebenberg

Today, YNHW is one of approximately 441 accredited NHWs in the Western Cape. YNHW has a total membership of 490, of which 80 members are operationally active. YNHW also has 17 WhatsApp groups that are used for sharing of valuable information.

NHW members are all volunteers, and the SAPS regards YNHW as a very powerful community instrument to curb crime. However, when a criminal activity is suspected, members will report to the SAPS and not intervene. YNHW is not a vigilante organisation, and the operational approach that is followed is to refrain from endangering themselves and rather to observe, contact the SAPS and report the suspicious activity. During the previous report year, 20 incidents were reported and 11 arrests made. Following a general S-curve of increasing and decreasing crime-related incidents, it could be generally accepted that the NHW would follow a strategy of being active and less active. However, in the case of YNHW, the operational approach followed by the Chairman, Koos Liebenberg, is based on operational proactivity. Vigilance is maintained through consistent patrols, observation and liaison with their safety and security partners. The full circle security loop has been closed, with the latest addition to the NHW operations being mobile, bicycle and foot patrols during the day. In April 2022, the foot and bicycle patrols clocked up an enormous 94 operational hours.

YNHW Trauma Coordinator, Pieter van der Linde, ready to go on patrol

Factors that contribute the most to the successes of the NHW are the visibility of watchful members on patrol, the strong relationships that were formed with partner organisations and the support from the community. The number of operational hours are evidence of the volunteers’ commitment: for the period of February 2022 to April 2022, the operational members spent 283 hours on night patrols and 118 hours doing day patrols. Without the support of Yzerfontein Armed Response, Darling Rural Protection, Municipal Law Enforcement and the SAPS, however, the ground work of the NHW would be futile. The direct support of the partner organisations, such as Darling Rural Protection, with an arsenal of resources, provides the necessary muscle to successfully apprehend alleged perpetrators. Voluntarism without financial support is often not sufficient to ensure success. The current financial position of the NHW allows for technical maintenance of hardware and replacement of dilapidated and outdated equipment. Without the voluntary contributions of the members, financial donations by the community and funds generated from fundraising projects, such as the annual Yzer Challenge competition, the NHW would not be in such a favourable financial position. YNHW sincerely appreciates all the financial support from the community. Another force multiplier that was implemented is the very effective License Plate Recognition (LPR) camera system. To date, six successful apprehensions were recorded, after the NHW received early warning on the LPR system, reacted and intercepted the vehicles.

Supporting the operational approach is trauma counselling, which is coordinated by Pieter van der Linde. As Trauma Coordinator, Pieter help victims to cope with the trauma and to regain a sense of security. A follow-up visit is scheduled where contact details for professional help are made available for them to regain control over their lives.

True to the motto of YNHW, the NHW are also involved in various other initiatives to benefit the community. During COVID-19 the NHW joined hands with other community organisations and established the COVID-19 Support Coordinating Croup, which was instrumental in distributing much needed food parcels. Members travelled 600 km in total to deliver these food parcels, spending 510 hours on the task. YNHW is also regularly involved with other community projects, such as beach clean-up days.

The current management committee, with an average age of 60, has been serving for approximately eight years. Regular renewal of committee members keeps the committee fresh, focused and effective, enabling it to meet the changing demands of greater complexity pertaining to political, economic, social and infrastructural changes in Yzerfontein. The SAPS is dependent on the community’s involvement to maintain an effective and efficient NHW, and thus encourages citizens to join YHNW.

For enquiries, contact Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch on 083 444 0672.

Yzerfontein Neighbourhood Watch is like the West Coast fog, always there….. to care!

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