Be inspired at the POST/SAB Women’s Day Breakfast
ONE woman with a passion for fighting crime is changing the lives of all those around her.
At the age of 61, the Lotus Park, Isipingo, grandmother, who was tired of her community constantly being targeted by armed robbers and hijackers, jumped at the opportunity when she was asked to form a women’s community policing forum earlier this year.
Mother-of-four Zarina Assan, who initially patrolled with the Lotus Park Community Police Forum Reaction Unit, was approached by chairperson Denzil Reddy to form a women’s WhatsApp group with the aim of being the eyes and ears of the community during the day.
“We were fed up with crime destroying our community. Every day someone is hijacked outside their homes. So when the men started patrolling at night, I decided to join them.
“Then, when I was asked to form my own group, I was ecstatic. I informed all my family and friends and asked them to encourage other women to join in the fight against crime,” she told POST.
“We first formed a WhatsApp group so that we could communicate and assist each other. Today we have 40 dedicated women, who are making a difference.”
In May, the women in the group became an official subforum of the Isipingo CPF.
“We were thrilled to be acknowledged as the first women to be part of a CPF. Armed with our Tasers, pepper spray and WhatsApp group, we are fighting crime together.”
She said other than keeping alert during the day, she and a few members patrolled from 8pm until about midnight.
They keep watch at the entrance of Lotus Park or patrol the streets.
Asssan, whose 63-year-old husband, Shabier, was hijacked and assaulted outside their home last year, said: “These young criminals accosted him before grabbing his car keys and speeding off in our car, which has not yet been recovered.
“At the time, we did not have a CPF, so it was harder to get immediate help or warn others. But today we can just send a single message on the group and more than 100 members respond. We have foiled many robberies and hijackings in recent months, with many vehicles recovered.”
The crime-fighting grandmother of seven and her members will soon attend self-defence classes.
“As women, we are more vulnerable. However, through these classes, we will become stronger and fearless. We are proud to have this forum and hope to inspire other women to take a stand against crime.”
Shabier, who is a business owner, said: “I am very proud of the community work my wife is doing. Although I fear for her safety, I know she and the others are well equipped to defend themselves.”
Assan, whose son, Shuaib, lives on the same road, is a CPF member and his wife, Humarah, works with her mother- in- law to protect residents.
Armed with Tasers, pepper spray, air rifles and baseball bats, the women of Lotus Park, in Isipingo, are ready to combat crime. They’re claiming back their community as possibly the first all-women’s community policing forum in KwaZulu-Natal. POST reporter NADIA KHAN spoke to the chairperson and her colleagues, who are helping to eradicate crime on the streets, one day at a time