The crime prevention role of street committees in selected townships in the eThekwini Municipal area.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The role of street committees (SCs) in crime prevention in South Africa (SA) is key to
combatting crime. Black local authorities (BLAs) commenced in 1982, leading to the
formation of several civic structures. BLAs served the black population, but they were
never accepted by the black majority for political reasons. They were regarded as
apartheid projects. Moreover, BLAs allegedly contributed to the social stratification of
society, and individuals who represented them developed a confrontational attitude
towards the local community structures that boycotted them. In areas, such as
Lingelihle in Cradock, boycotts led to the resignation of councillors from the BLAs. The
Cradock Residents Association (CRADORA) was instrumental in the resignation of
councillors in this area, owing to the pressure it had applied. It appears that, because
of this pressure, CRADORA paved the way for the first formation of SCs in the country,
although, before the advent of BLAs, civic organisations had been formed by the
Committee of Ten (CoT) in Soweto in 1977. CRADORA was responsible for recruiting
numerous township residents for the SCs, although the introduction of these structures
in other areas differed from one community to another. SCs were robust structures
that the security forces and police of the apartheid government could not control or
disband. However, in 1988, SCs were ended by the repressive apartheid government
that declared a state of emergency with a view to supressing political protest, rather
than dealing with the crime prevalent in the 1980s. However, these structures
continued to operate clandestinely. Numerous crime prevention strategies have been
used by the government. The crime scourge has ravaged many families, communities,
businesses, and other societal sectors. This has necessitated the ANC-led
government and a president of the country to call for the resuscitation of SCs to assist
in crime prevention. This study focussed on the role of SCs in preventing crime in the
townships of Chesterville and Clermont in the eThekwini Municipal Area. The
investigation followed a mixed-methods methodology, and a case study design to
collect and analyse data. The contribution to knowledge is that municipalities should
enact by-laws that recognise street committees
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.