Underage drinking a crisis in Khula Village
NEWLY-elected chair of the Khula Village (Dukuduku) CPF, Xolani Mkhwanazi said the high rate of underage drinking, with some children as young as 12 or 13, in the area is a ‘crisis’ that must be urgently addressed.
Mkhwanazi, who was elected as CPF chair on Sunday, 6 March, said law enforcers need to conduct regular operations targeting local taverns and bars to ensure these establishments adhere to the law and do not sell alcohol to, and are not patronised by, persons under the age of 18.
Crimes such as muggings, the shooting of victims with illegal firearms, and housebreakins are some of the crimes that beleaguer the ward, according to Mkhwanazi.
Intelligence gathering of the highest level by law enforcers was necessary in the investigation of crimes committed in the area, Mkhwanazi said.
‘Many community members know of these incidents,’ he said.
The CPF requires individuals who will work hard in the fight to curb crime, and who will work hand-in-hand with the police, the forum’s chair added.
‘The CPF is not there to cause problems but is meant to help with correcting a crisis situation,’ he said.
The regular firing of guns in the air, guns which Mkhwanazi said he suspects are illegal, also needs to be confronted, the CPF chair said.
‘We rebuke such actions because now people are living in fear, and call on the police to conduct operations aimed at finding and collecting illegal firearms because calling on people to willingly hand over their illegal firearms will not have the intended results,’ Mkhwanazi said.
He added that last week, firearms were shot into the air repeatedly late at night.
He further appealed to law enforcers to carry out more regular operations, including at schools where drugs and weapons could be found in the possession of pupils.
‘These are some of the major problems in the community we live in, and they are not declining; instead they are on the increase and the high rate of unemployment contributes to these,’ Mkhwanazi said.
The CPF is expected to meet with the Mtubatuba Saps station commander and thereafter will formulate its programme of action.
Mkhwanazi is of the view that although izikebhe (community crime fighting groups) are sometimes problematic because at times they are made up of questionable people and there is uncertainty about the legality of their working, they can be effective in the fight against crime.
He recalled an incident in 2020 in the ward where a community crime fighting group intervened and the matter was speedily resolved in a ‘disciplined manner’ and the stolen goods were returned to their rightful owner without any accused person being injured.
‘I do not know what brought izikebhe in the area to an end. Such groups are important but they need to be monitored and they need to work with the police and the CPF.
'Izikebhe usually get the job done quicker than the police,’ Mkhwanazi said.