STRONGER TOGETHER

While many communities and areas in KwaZulu-Natal are still feeling the after-effects of the July riots and looting that swept the region, there is one area that claims what was born out of this traumatic and potentially divisive time has been an inspiration and blessing.

The newly formed Outer West Business & Community Initiative (OWBCI) has the intention of servicing and uniting the entire community and businesses of the Outer West region of KZN – including Embo, Kwanyuswa, Molweni, Hillcrest, Assagay, Kloof and Shongweni.

Cotswold Downs’ CEO, Shantelle Walters, says the formation and continued success of the OWBCI since the dark days of the riots epitomises the resolve of the human spirit and captures the true essence of “ubuntu”. “What started out with residents from Cotswold Downs joining forces to protect our estate and surrounding areas, soon turned into a bigger and more powerful union of business and community leaders with a common goal of protecting the livelihoods in the greater Outer West area – not only during the riots but going forward,” says Shantelle. “It has been inspiring to see how so many have given selflessly of their time and resources to empower and support the SAPS and Community Policing Forum (CPF) for the good of the greater community.”

Some of the initiatives undertaken to date include the repair of 14 previously unroadworthy SAPS vehicles – with ongoing maintenance being offered to the local SAPS free of charge by Halfway Ford Waterfall, CMH Nissan Highway, Tyremart, Alpine VW and SMG Toyota Hillcrest. Two vehicles were sponsored for 12 months by SMG Toyota and Alpine Renault, as well as office space from Richdens Centre in Hillcrest for the CPF. Twenty tonnes of fresh and dried food were distributed to the broader community, feeding close to 4 000 people over a two-week period. And R5 000 was sponsored by the Taxi Association to Ubizo (a local NPC) to go towards books at the first library to be established in the valley.

According to the founding member and mastermind behind the formation of the OWBCI, Nick Nzama, who originally hails from a chicken farm in Assagay, and his mother, who currently resides in the valley of Kwanyuswa, the far-reaching impact of forming the OWBCI goes beyond the donation of time, money and resources

LOCALS SUPPORTING LOCALS SEES GAME-CHANGING INITIATIVE BORN OUT OF KZN RIOTS

ABOVE & TOP: Beneficiaries receive food parcels during the July riots – thanks to the newly formed Outer West Business & Community Initiative. that the community has benefitted from to date. The OWBCI strives for social cohesion and to provide a platform where everyone’s voice is heard. Registered as a not-for-profit company (NPC), the initiative has already taken some remarkable strides towards positive change within our community and is gaining momentum.

“Our role in the engagement between SAPS, Metro Police, community safety companies, CPF, neighbourhood watches, the Taxi Association, and other community and business representatives, is serving to create a new security support structure. Efforts are underway to engage Outer West businesses so that they may better understand the existing barriers to economic development within the surrounding communities,

allowing them to identify opportunities to facilitate and support. We believe we are #StrongerTogetherOuterWest, and encourage you to stay connected through our online platforms to see how you can assist through time, money, expertise or resources to rebuild KZN while creating a thriving community. Ultimately we want to stop making walls higher and rather make tables bigger,” explains Nick.

Tsepo Mkomo, assistant director of the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, believes the OWBCI will “assist the CPF to carry out their mandate effectively and efficiently. It will also bridge the gap between the community and SAPS, as the police are unable to solve crime without support”. CPF chairlady, Tracey Lynch, also thanks the OWBCI: “We have now been given the facilities and amenities to go ahead and do better for our community.”

“We are so proud of this game-changing movement and believe it could become a blueprint for other areas and communities in KZN, and even nationally. We continue to actively work together and re-imagine our community eco-systems, and are committed to continue supporting the efforts and vision of the OWBCI because we want to see a united South Africa that draws communities together for the stabilisation and betterment of all,” concludes Shantelle. *

FOR MORE INFO info@owbci.co.za; www.owbci.co.za; W Outer West