The Sarah Baartman District Community Policing Forum (CPF) is building on its successful anti-crime initiative with plans to host another Sports and Recreation Against Crime on June 24 at Jeffreys Bay Comprehensive High School.
Following the positive impact of the inaugural event held in February 2024, organisers are expanding the format to create a more inclusive recreational experience.
The tournament has already shown remarkable results in addressing gang violence in the Humansdorp area.
Chairperson of Sarah Baartman District CPF, Mieta Williams-Jan, said she has noted the significant changes in the community since the initiative began.
“The tournament is very effective as it brings back respect amongst the youth and community. It also brings hope and creates role models amongst the youth towards SAPS, especially,” said Williams-Jan.
She added that the initiative has yielded tangible results, as violence has decreased drastically, and gangs have allegedly made peace with each other.
“The parents are very happy and appreciative towards every effort and programme we are doing,” said Williams-Jan.
The upcoming event will shift from a competitive soccer tournament to a broader recreational programme, according to Victor Maboza, Assistant Director for the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, in the Sarah Baartman District.
He said the purpose of this event is to decrease the involvement and recruitment of youth in gangsterism, crime and drug abuse through sport and recreation activities.
“This year we will not do a sporting event; it will be a recreational event that will feature modified sport to create opportunities even for those who are not sport-oriented,” said Maboza.
Activities planned for the day include egg races, sack races, 5-a-side soccer, touch rugby, football, cricket, and information stalls from various organisations and government departments.
What began as an alternative to door-to-door outreach has evolved into a comprehensive strategy to engage youth positively.
“The door-to-door outreach is not addressing the issues of the youth. Youth have energy that needs to be nurtured in the right direction, or it will be used wrongly. Youth need to be active to learn; through sport, they can learn discipline and other skills such as leadership,” said Maboza.
As previously reported, Williams-Jan initially organised the tournament after discovering that their door-to-door efforts to discourage youth from joining gangs were ineffective because children were rarely at home.
The soccer tournament was their solution, leveraging the region’s love for the sport, particularly in the KwaNomzamo area.
The most significant development is the plan to establish a permanent Sport and Recreation Hub following the event in June.
“We have realised that to have an impact, we need to have a programme that will be continuous,” said Maboza.
“After the event in June this year, we will have a planning meeting to create a Sport and Recreation Hub for the area, which will involve different Sport and Recreation Federations and organisations. These structures will give opportunities for the youth to be involved after they come back from school.”
The initiative has attracted new partners for the 2025 event, including the Department of Correctional Services, SAPS, Kouga Municipality, Eastern Province Cricket, Department of Social Development, and Working on Fire.
“This year we have included more stakeholders, and we are still communicating with other stakeholders that we hope will join the event as well,” said Maboza.
The event is open to everyone in the community, with no formal team registration required.
“Everyone can just come on the day and join the group, as we will not be participating as teams. We will create groups that will participate in all activities,” said Maboza.
