Empowering communities to combat crime

According to World Bank² , South Africa’s crime rate is among the highest in the world, with its economic cost estimated at around 10% of the country’s GDP annually in recent years. As a business, we can play our part in combatting crime by empowering our host communities through education and meaningful engagement.

As part of our CSI initiatives implemented this year, Harmony partnered with the Safer South Africa Foundation NPO to deliver its communities justice programme. Since 2012, the Safer South Africa Foundation has partnered with multiple government and national institutions, local municipalities, law enforcement and like-minded civil society organisations to capacitate communities in the fight against crime and its impact on society and the youth.

The communities justice programme is aimed at building community resilience through changing attitudes and behaviour of the youth and communities towards criminal activities, including crimes associated with illicit mining and gender-based violence. The programme further empowers the youth to make better life choices and redirect their mindset to education and sustainable entrepreneurship.

With the assistance of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the programme identified and prioritised five schools and four youth communities in Free State, Gauteng and North West townships that showed high crime rate statistics.

Programme highlights

Early intervention plays and important role in keeping youth away from the life of crime and its consequences. Therefore, the programme focuses on:

• Educating the community about the country’s law enforcement and criminal justice system: Youths are orientated to the criminal court process, visit correctional facilities where they are exposed to life in prison, and engage with imprisoned offenders who share real-life consequences of choosing a life of crime
• Educating the community about illicit mining: By also highlighting the negative impact this activity has on the community, the legal implications, and safety concerns. Youths are discouraged from committing this crime
• Fostering trust and confidence in the criminal justice system through community-based crime prevention initiatives: Community members are encouraged to build partnership and collaborate with law enforcement to prevent crime and join the fight against gender-based violence. Members are also educated about how to identify gender-based violence and timely respond legally with assistance by relevant government institutions and law enforcement
• Promoting financial inclusion: Youths gain valuable knowledge about how to generate income legally and improve their spending habits, and are educated about how various financial crimes, including the risks and consequences of financial fraud, extortion, bribery, etc.
• Community engagements: Youths have an opportunity to share their challenges, frustrations and expectations. In turn, this affords Harmony the opportunity to deliver CSI initiatives that meaningfully contribute to alleviating issues that are immediately and directly impacting the youth in our host communities.