We welcome you, MaZondi
ALEXANDRA - May I take this opportunity, on behalf of the community of Alexandra that yearns for a crime free living in this iconic township, to welcome your arrival, Mam Colonel Nhluvuko Zondi.
May I take this opportunity, on behalf of the community of Alexandra that yearns for crime-free living in this iconic township, to welcome your arrival, mam, Colonel Nhluvuko Zondi.
Although we are not sure yet how long your stint will be, whether you are here temporarily pending the outcome of the investigation into your predecessor, but we take this opportunity to welcome you on board this turbulent crime-fighting airbus.
As you’re well aware of, Alexandra or Gomora as it is popularly known, has been a hotbed of crime for many years now. I take my hat off to Teko Pharasi for his work, as he did his utmost to stabilise the situation.
I remember years before his arrival, Alexandra was a no-go zone. It was a place where you would visit and count yourself lucky to come out alive and kicking.
In those times, we used to think tsotsis, as we used to call criminals back then, could easily identify you as an outsider in Alex by merely looking at you – the way you walked and talked.
There was a township lingo called tsotsitaal, and that alone sold you out to criminals. Without the knowledge of tsotsitaal, you became easy meat for criminals who regarded you as diebhare van die plaas af.
But back to serious issues, I trust your appointment will ring a lot of changes in Alexandra’s crime-fighting strategy, the most important element of that being your relationship with your number one stakeholder, the community.
This was your predecessor’s weakest link. He never listened to the people. He ignored them at every turn, including when they took to the streets to voice their grievances. He was just never there for them.
I hope you mam, will be there for them. Just remember that communities can make or break you, especially a person in your position. You’re in the firing line and if you make a wrong move, those bullets will get you. They may be firing blanks, but their blanks are sometimes more harmful than live bullets.
I hope and trust you will work closely with us, the community, and together we can rid our beloved township of this monster that will soon eat us all up if we don’t eat it up first.
