This is a cry for meaning!

Let me spare you the latest heart-rending details and statistics about violent crime in embattled South Africa during the bloody month of February; about a government that is doing sweet nothing about it; and about our beleaguered police services, where only a few gallant policemen and woman among them are working their back-sides off without adequate support.

Just accept the fact that our people are being slaughtered daily in the most brutal way imaginable. Also, take note of the fact that the modus operandi of violent gangs operating across the width and length of South Africa have adopted a form of asymmetric warfare in our urban and rural areas. Fact, not fiction!

Accept the fact that the solution to combat violent crime now lies with us as the community; with all races and creeds, with us as ordinary people. In the same way that we are fixing pot-holes because the government neglects to do so.

We have the legal right to establish community safety organisations and protect ourselves.

Yes, we need soft and hard solutions. Such as community projects to address the needs for good neighbourliness and goodwill towards each other…and to minimise poverty…and to increase work opportunities. That is one side of the coin.

However, we also need to hit hard proactively at the criminals and their criminal bases, deep operations, which are intelligence driven and properly managed – good command and control that is. For this we need to apply certain principles, which I will share with you at a later stage. That is, for our own safety and sanity in this great country of ours with so much positive potential!

Let me share a few highs and lows with you from our endeavours the last few weeks! Much more highs than lows!

These last few weeks I had been working very closely with the community safety team of AfriForum. A few young dynamic people working day and night to keep our people safe. They are the team of my choice, because they are doing something and they are energetic and positive and purposeful. They have adopted a caretaker role on behalf of all our people who are threatened by violent crime…all races and creeds, young and old; those who are with us or against us, or those who do not even know about Project Nehemiah.

So, we are building the ‘wall’ against violent crime and we will not come down! If some people or groups out there do not like it…so be it! We will still do it without them!

We have spoken to many individuals, organisations and groups the last few weeks. We still need to reach out too many others. Rome was not built in one day, but we will get there. We are serious about this and we have a sense of urgency and shared responsibility!

We have been blessed with so many positive gestures and generosities of people and organisations wishing to support the safeguarding of our people, both from inside and outside South Africa; also with technology…. free of charge mind you, who do not want to make money out of our predicament. Thank you most heartily for those of you who have pledged support for this worthy cause.

There is unfortunately also a downside, from some within our own ranks. Our own people! I hear complaints from enraged individuals and groups in our midst saying: “We have been doing security things for many years, what makes you think you can do any better. Why the heck do you want to intrude on our turf now? Stay out, leave us to our own devices. When are you going to do this and what about that……”

I am fed-up with this selfish attitude, total madness and stupidity. If you could not bring the statistics down up to now, leave us alone please. We are busy with good work on our wall and we are not coming down.

It boggles the mind when we fight amongst ourselves over trivialities; instead of focusing all our knowledge, energy and resources on the combating of violent crime itself. So, in the meantime, WHO is winning and WHO has the initiative…… THE CRIMINALS DO!!!!

Ah, yes then we have certain organisations with extreme ideologies harmful to others…. what about them. You know what I mean. To them I say. We are not political. We are here for the entire community who only wants to live in peace, all races and creeds and we stand for the safety of our community. What we undertake should be legitimate, credible, legal and professional; within the law of nations, of the South African Constitution and laws such as the police act. This allow ourselves to safeguard us against this violent onslaught. Yes, and we need to work closely with the police and state intelligence services as well – those of them who are serious about our endeavour and who are objective and sane of mind!

Let us rather get together and talk to each other, plan together, go over to action together, rather than fight with each other.

Let us then sit down and determine mutual role commitments and agreements in a sensible way and get all interested parties to work together. To form a united front against crime. To encourage the government to do their duty to their people and to safeguard them and all minority groupings. To truly care about their self-preservation and not pay lip service. I am pleased that I could get that off my mind.

Take note again: I am not interested in the ideologies of selfish extremists and fanatics, who only have self-serving agendas!!

What do we need to do? We need to establish common ground and common goals and work together; or else. There is no alternative! I talk about this as joint crusading.

This is not about a leadership competition among ourselves. It is about team-work, togetherness and about caring and unleashing all the potential we can muster. We need to get our leadership networks in place all over and utilise technology to our best advantage. We need to get our architecture sorted out, but fast.

We do not need people and organisations who want to sell us paraphernalia and try and profit off the community. What we now need are people and organisations who are prepared to chip in for the good of the community. Once we have established our needs and requirements we will reach out to you. However, you could give us a call and tell us when you believe you have something awesome to add to the solution or party. We need all your good ideas and inputs to forge our community strategy against crime on a continuous basis. Thanking you most kindly in advance.

By the way, the so-called strategy against crime belongs to the community, not to any individual or organisation. If you make strategy…you own strategy. That’s it!

By the way, it is not necessary to conduct an intelligence operation against us to determine what we are busy with. We will tell you, or give the information away. The community owns the intellectual capital.

Remember well that we are all volunteers. This makes it easy if the commitment is there to put ten Roland’s, for example, in one post to get one job done. The concept is powerful. Whether you are a butcher, baker or candle stick maker or sit in a wheel chair; old and young.

The strategic goals to ensure the safety of our people and to establish hope and confidence in Faith are simple, namely:

1. To get our strategic capabilities and leadership in place and to take the fight to the criminals.
2. To establish a national safety system where all of us, who really care, work together and to provide strategic direction for our combined efforts – to work legally and professionally within community policing structures.
3. To empower and organise our people to stand up against crime and to create national awareness and goodwill among all people. In doing so, to encourage the government to serve our people honourably.
4. To create international awareness about our desperate plight and to unleash external support for our efforts in combating crime more effectively.

In this sense, I quite like the words uttered by paratrooper Kobus Kirsten on Facebook a few days ago: “Ek bid harder dat ek ʼn duisend manne (en vroue en dogters en seuns, voeg ek by) kan kry wat hul monde kan hou en ʼn slag iets kan en wil doen. Ek bid nie meer vir reën en spaar ons die plaasmoorde nie. Ek glo God gaan die mense help wat hul self wil help. Laat hy val waar hy wil!”

There is no time left! Let us do it!

With great appreciation for all your support and prayers!

Roland de Vries, 12 March 2017.

By general Roland de Vries – CrimeSA

South Africa Today – South Africa News