WKND

SAFETY FIRST!

SOUTH AFRICAN ENTREPRENE­UR THULI MTHETHWA HAS ASSISTED IN EMPOWERING WOMEN BY DESIGNING A PORTABLE ALARM THAT IS COST- EFFECTIVE AND ACCESSIBLE TO LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIE­S

- By Suchitra Steven Samuel

Thuli Mthethwa has a mission — to fight crime in South Africa, starting in Diepsloot, north of Johannesbu­rg. She is one of 54 entreprene­urs in the Maxum Programme at The Innovation Hub in the City of Tshwane in South Africa. Thuli gave up her secure job as a software developer to design devices that would benefit her community, particular­ly women at large. She has designed a new portable alarm that is cost effective enough to be accessible to low- income communitie­s. Through funding from The Innovation Hub and mentoring, guidance and office space, she has developed a product that is ready for the market.

“Basically what we did was find a solution to solve crime in South Africa, especially in low-

income areas where they cannot afford any kind of alarm systems. We came up with two social alarm systems, a personal one and one for the house. This was in response to a lot of violence that is taking place against women in our townships both inside and outside the house. We hope that by implementi­ng the Memeza Women Empowermen­t Initiative, we manage to cut crime in those areas by up to 90 per cent,” Thuli explains in an exclusive interview in Johannesbu­rg with Khaleej Times.

The Memeza Personal Safety Alarm, available in a variety of bold colours, is one of the simplest and most effective alarm systems. It is a colourful key ring operated by simply pulling on a chord. The alarm emits an oscillatin­g sound at 140 decibels. The system, known as the Memeza, or ‘ shout’, was distribute­d in the crime stricken parts of Johannesbu­rg namely Diepsloot which has the dubious distinctio­n of being a crime hub.

Thuli says she started the NGO after her sister fell victim to a crime four years ago in Tembisa. She wanted to do something about crime in the townships. “Crime is very high here and people get killed, so I think this alarm will make a difference in the fight against crime. My younger sister was attacked in her house. Criminals broke in and robbed the family. They beat up the husband. In the morning there was blood all over and they almost attacked the girl child. One of them said ‘ Guys, we have been here for too long, let’s go’ and that’s how the child wasn’t raped. It was then I realised that we needed something to protect people in low- income areas,” explains Thuli on why she was motivated to go ahead with the project.

She continues, “We deal with two alarm systems. One is for when you are walking the streets. So far we’ve distribute­d 2,000 in Diepsloot and we are busy distributi­ng another 8,000 to most of the poor community areas in Gauteng, Tembisa, and also Eldorado Park in Soweto. This is the one that you carry.”

Thuli further explains how the system works. “The one that you carry, the personal safety alarm, uses the power of the witness. It is like a whistle but an alarm. It makes a very loud noise and scares whoever wants to attack you. It informs those around you that you are in trouble. We hope that as criminals get to know that there is a possibilit­y that each and every woman walking the streets has this personal safety alarm, they will not bother you because they know the moment they bother you, you will use the device and somebody is going to see them or hear them. The per- sonal alarm system does not connect to the police. It just alerts the people around you.”

The alarm for the houses was launched in April last year. It notifies the police and others around about the crime. “Called the Memeza Home Alarm System, it is installed inside the house, and uses GSM technology so you can actually configure the alarm to speak to as many people as you want to when you are under attack. You simply press the button. Inside, the system will already have configured the numbers for the local police that serve your area, your patrollers, your neighbourh­ood, even the security companies that work in your area. The idea is that everybody must come and respond to the crime incident. That way criminals will know that it is now a risk and crime will go down,” she adds.

suchitra@ khaleejtim­es. com

Donors can contact Thuli ( thuli@ memeza. co. za) or the Innovation Hub, and select from a list of crime hotspots that they can donate alarms to, thus partnering with the Memeza Women Empowermen­t Initiative to eradicate gender- based violence and house robbery crimes in South Africa.

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 ??  ?? SAFETY NET: ( counter clockwise from above) Thuli working alongside the police; a sample alarm; the police handing over the alarm to a young girl in Johannesbu­rg
SAFETY NET: ( counter clockwise from above) Thuli working alongside the police; a sample alarm; the police handing over the alarm to a young girl in Johannesbu­rg
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