It has been a few weeks since Police Minister Bheki Cele descended to the farming town of Harding on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, following a plea by residents that they were at the mercy of gun-wielding criminals unleashing a reign of terror.
So severe was the community’s plight such that Cele said a team of crime experts and police detectives would be dispatched to probe the high rate of crime, mainly murder and rape.
During a meeting in November, the distraught residents came to tears as they described how they are terrorised by former inmates who are on a rampage attacking people in their homes.
Now local mayor Siboniso Zungu has promised to take the war to the criminals, assuring the residents and tourists visiting the region that their safety is guaranteed.
“Since a visit by the minister, police have been deployed, and because of their presence, the safety situation has improved drastically,” Zungu said.
“The municipality has also recruited crime monitors who are patrolling the streets and areas considered as crime hotspots, and we have made substantial progress in keeping our communities safe.
“Crime is a threat to our tourism, which we are reviving through the summer festivities, and we are tackling it head on.”
The holidays’ festivities are centred around the Harding Summer Festival, which will see the small town turned into a highly sought-after tourism destination.
Creatives including DJ Tira, Nomfundo Moh and Jumbo, who is a native of the area, are expected to light up the farming town when they perform in a music concert.
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