Policewomen were honoured during a Women’s Day lunch, organised by Lansdowne police station, at the Turfhall Stadium, last week
At the event, Lansdowne Community Police Forum chairman Rafique Foflonk announced that SAPS clusters in the Western Cape were changing to districts, in line with changes already made in other provinces to better share very limited police resources.
The province’s police stations, which have previously fallen under one of 16 clusters, will now be assigned to one of six districts, each of which will comprise more stations than the old clusters.
The reorganisation meant the composition of the Mitchell’s Plain cluster would change, Mr Foflonk said. The old cluster included Lansdowne, Grassy Park, Steenberg, Mitchell’s Plain, Strandfontein, Philippi, and Lentegeur police stations.
“Part of the cluster will go to one district and the other part to another. The finer details will still be worked out,” he said.
Thembi Mazantsi, deputy chairwoman of the Lansdowne Women’s Network, said women played important roles in their communities and brought strength to the justice system.
“Women look after each other and appreciate each other. We have to encourage one another and raise one another. Women have strength. A house with a mother in it can overcome anything. We are brave. Through the mother, the woman, there is so much love in that household. We can handle anything. A mother will always persevere. We can break down and cry, but we will get up and rise again,” she said.
President and Founder of the Dear Women Movement, a non-profit organisation, Yolinda Madonono, said that women took up leading roles but remained caring and able to empathise with those in need.
“Women know to speak to people. Women look at the finer details of an issue. Such events remind us and encourage us of our strength. Women go through a lot and in such spaces, we are reminded that it’s okay, let’s let go and pick ourselves up again,” she said.