UKWANGALI HOMPA URGES COMMUNITY TO PRIORITISE SAFETY - nbc

Hompa Eugene Siwombe of the Ukwangali Traditional Authority has called on residents in his jurisdiction to take ownership of safety, citing a rise in alcohol and drug abuse, theft, and violent offences. Hompa Siwombe was speaking during a community meeting at Nkurenkuru, which brought together traditional leaders, residents, and local stakeholders to discuss urgent measures to curb crime. The discussions focused on the social drivers behind crime, including substance abuse, theft, and passion killings, which are said to have eroded community safety and trust. These are some of the views of the participants. "Many times our people complain about scammers stealing money from their phones. The police may know the people; the same applies to us community members, and those people are roaming freely. What can we do?" "To me, Nkurenkuru looks like a small town, but the crime rate is high, and the police are only on the road issuing tickets, but we don't see them patrol." "We sent a letter to the governor, but we never got a response, so this thing of passion killing, we are just not serious about it; otherwise it was not going to be happening." "The bodies that are recorded in the river, some do not have some body parts. I am not talking about things I heard about; I saw it with my own eyes." Representatives from the Directorate of Education outlined challenges facing schools and explained how schools and parents can help combat crime. The police also presented on how the community can work more closely with law enforcement. The meeting concluded with an agreement to form a multi-stakeholder committee tasked with developing a coordinated action plan. Hompa Siwombe added, "Some members will come from the community, and some from the police and the church as well. For every concern raised here, we need to find a way to solve it. When we come back for this meeting again, the committee will have to give us feedback, as will the police, traditional authority, church and school. The committee needs to meet. If we do not have a leadership forum, we will fail."