The police from Manenberg, Athlone and Philippi joined forces on Wednesday 16 November with the Eoan Group School of Performing Arts in an outreach programme for senior citizens.
The event was a curtain raiser for the upcoming 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.
Through the programme, the three police stations are hoping to encourage the seniors to stay young at heart and to never give up on themselves in their quest to be heard within their families and the community.
As part of the festivities, the Western Cape Police Band under the direction of Lt Col Ashley Chandler ignited the hearts of the seniors through the music.
“Our moral values lie in tatters because we have distanced ourselves from what seems to be old and frail. Our communities foundation is built on the legacies and story-telling of our senior citizens,” says Capt Ian Bennet, spokesperson of Manenberg police
Bennet adds that: “The morning musical serenades is a musical showpiece for the seniors by the seniors. The 16 Days of Activism for no Violence against Women and Children lies around the corner, so this year we wanted to have an approach of embracing the seniors by recommitting ourselves and ensuring that they know we are here to serve them from a spiritual to physical side.”
According to him, the community suffered a lot during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We suffered the loss of community building. Today was a special day as it was the first community programme done where we brought the seniors together.
“The police recommitted themselves in striving to serve the community on every level including their various spiritual beliefs, by reading out the code of conduct of the police. This was not just a programme, but a continuous striving to serve our community,” Bennet says
