Maggie Carolus, Patricia Hugo, Faheema Francis, Fatima Meyer, Charlene Morris and Tamara Barthus – these are the crime-fighting women walking the streets to make the Strandfontein police precinct a safer place.
Alongside Strandfontein community policing forum (CPF) chair, Sandy Schuter Flowers, these six women are chairpersons and founders of street committees, block and neighbourhood watches, or serve on other safety structures, such as the victim support unit.
In honour of Women’s Day, Strandfontein Police Station and CPF management have collectively named them Woman Leader of the year, for their support and dedication.
Schuter Flowers says the role they play is invaluable, with their sacrifices often going unnoticed.
“These women have made so many sacrifices for the community of Strandfontein over the years and I never see them take a break. I am on the road all the time, and if I am not on the road, then they are. It’s from Monday to Monday, and there is never a day I see them take time off for their families,” she says.
Flowers adds that they sacrifice 90% of their time for the community, constantly investing their time for the improvement of the community.
“They go unnoticed because they do it for the love of the community and not for popularity or praise.”
With August being Women’s Month, the station has set out to continuously praise the unsung women of the precinct, named the mothers of the station by police management.
“We see you and we do appreciate everything you have done for the community of Strandfontein. I want the community to know who the real heroes are in our community. These are the women who are at the forefront in fighting crime,” she says.
“These are the women I rely on. I have been doing this for many years and for the first time I can say these are solid women. They are out there and they know what they must do.”
The group members have been working in crime fighting and community upliftment for 10 to 20 years and remain active.
- Faheema Francis, chair of Bayview block watch, has been a crimefighter for 20 years.
“I have experienced many things in my life and that has driven me to become a crime fighter. I am more of a community worker than anything else,” she says.
“When it comes to women helping the next person and the youth at risk, I see all the challenges out there on the streets. I see the struggles of the community and I am here to help in whichever way humanly possible.”
Domestic violence is one of the main challenges she has encountered in the community.
“I always try to encourage women not to accept that he will change. Stand up. This is a new generation. Women abuse is a very personal thing to me because I have been there, so when I counsel women, I bring my experiences in. Do what is right for you, no one else is responsible for your happiness but you.”
- Maggie Carolus, the oldest active woman on the patrol roster, has done it all. From walking on crutches to now using a single crutch, she continues to assist her community.
“I started when I moved to Strandfontein. We were a group of five men and me. There were many empty houses in the area at that time and I did it for the passion of my community,” she says. “It is my passion to help others. Children going missing in the community is something very close to me. I feel the pain and emotions as if it is my own. This encourages me to be more helpful and aware when it comes to children on the street without supervision.”
She encourages more women to get involved in crime fighting.
- Patricia Hugo has been a crimefighter for more than 20 years and is currently a CPF member.
“I love to be out on the road with the police and structures. We don’t have a lot of gangsterism in the area, but we do have drug addiction. It is sad to see how the young people waste their lives on drugs,” she says.
“There are a lot of challenges out there, but we see changes. Domestic violence is a problem in Strandfontein and if we can educate women more, that will help. People tend to make cases and then withdraw them. It is so rife out there and if we as women don’t stand up for ourselves, it will not get better.”
Taking the first step is important, she says.
“To the women out there, if you have some time on your hands, we need you on the neighbourhood watches to keep our communities safe,” she says.
- Charlene Morris founded the block watch in San Remo in 2014. Today it is an accredited neighbourhood watch. Affected by the pandemic, they resumed patrols in February and were accredited in May.
She believes their group leads by example and was also instrumental in establishing street committees in the area.
“I wanted the community to understand how crime works,” she says.
“To women out there who think they are worthless, you are not. I also felt like that and look where I am now. The community can look at you as a woman of strength. It’s not just about being out there. I want to encourage women also and focus on social development and empowerment. I do this because I love it and have a passion.”
- Tamara Barthus has worked in the community safety sector at schools with anti-bullying and discipline.
“I feel more intervention is needed at schools to help uplift these children from their social circumstances,” she says.
Women blinded by love are not aware of their strength, something she has experienced herself.
“I have a passion for my community. I can’t say how long I have been doing this. If you have a minute to spare, offer it up to the community. There is so much we can offer up our time for in our community,” she says,
- Fatima Meyer, active for the past 20 years, says she was inspired by the community and her peers’ struggles to be a helping hand to the community and try her best to make a difference, if even in one person’s life.
“Because I have children, I see what is out there and try to teach and help my children. Poverty is rife and I see children steal to help in the home. Children are being used to break into houses, to help feed drug needs and it is heartbreaking,” she says.
“To the women out there, I would like to encourage them to come out and see what it is like. When you see what is happening out there, you are able to see positives in your own situation. The group of people who we are, sometimes you just need to talk, and we can be that. Also, abuse is not acceptable. It is difficult to speak out, but find that one person you can trust and try to find help.”
