• Neighbourhood watch activities are allowed to resume under Level 3 of the Covid-19 lockdown.
• Up to 20 patrollers will be deployed per shift, with cloth masks and hand sanitisers to be supplied to neighbourhood watches.
• Neighbourhood watch members will encourage social distancing at places where people congregate, including shopping centres, schools and Sassa pay points.

Neighbourhood watches will be used to promote social distancing in public places in targeted Covid-19 hotspots in the Western Cape.

This will from part of a programme that will see a maximum of 20 neighbourhood watch members deployed at a time, according to information provided at a briefing on Saturday.

At the briefing with neighbourhood watch members in Khayelitsha, the Western Cape Department of Community Safety communicated the roll-out of the neighbourhood watch programme in response to the pandemic and committed to support neighbourhood watches operating in Covid-19 hotspots.

Cloth masks, sanitisers

In a statement released on 1 June, Western Cape Community Safetey MEC Albert Fritz confirmed neighbourhood watches were able to operate under Level 3 of the national lockdown.

Fritz said neighbourhood watches would serve to prevent crime such as vandalism, which had increased during lockdown.

He added the department would provide cloth masks and hand sanitisers to neighbourhood watch members and set the number of members permitted to operate to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He said they would also encourage self-distancing between volunteers, ensuring that those who show symptoms or who have been in contact with someone with Covid-19 are not permitted to operate.

In targeted Covid-19 hotspot areas, the department will support neighbourhood watch activities such as encouraging and promoting social distancing at places where people congregate, including shopping centres, schools, Sassa pay points and other spots identified by the community.

Shifts

This programme will see a minimum of 12 patrolling and placement shifts implemented per month by each qualifying accredited neighbourhood watch structure. A maximum of 20 members will be deployed at a given time, Fritz said.

"The deployment will take place between 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2020, with a possible extension based on related health data. The department will support each qualifying accredited neighbourhood watch with a maximum amount of R12 000 per month, subject to compliance," said Fritz.