Crime awareness - Bulawayo

The world definitely seems to be culminating in something huge about to happen.  If people do not search to find the truth and start having their high morals again, it will be disastrous for them in the end.  Why would I start an update with something so morose? Too many people are living their lives with their heads stuck in the sand and they need to wake up.

 

Xenophobia is big in the whole world.  If there are robberies in SA it is blamed on Zimbabweans.  If there are weapons readily available in Mbare, Harare, it is blamed on Mozambiqueans. Ireland is rearing its ugly head again in the form of the IRA and Scotland wants to be free from England. 

 

Racism is everywhere around the world, yet it is only the few that make it difficult for the rest and those few are the very ones that make comments, without lifting their own finger mind you, to cause harm but their words encourage others to take advantage and rise up and maim, riot or worse - kill innocent people.  These “others” should start using their own minds and not be “used” to avenge out attacks. Just look at the senseless beheadings in Syria on Aid Workers.

 

Spiritualism is becoming bigger and bigger world wide – help from TV I’m afraid.  One person even phoned into a radio station regarding the Oscar Pistorius trial, that all could be solved if they just used a medium “like the rest of the world does”.  The DJ agreed.

 

Child Abuse is everywhere. In the UK, Australia and USA parents cannot simply take videos of their children in school plays without written consent by ALL the parents and teaching body.  If you take photos of your children on the beach in SA – ensure no-one else other than family and friends are in the photo.

 

There have been extremely large numbers of children abused in the past and most certainly now and won’t stop in the nearer future. I get concerned when children are getting more rights over their parents than parents having rights over their children.  The right discipline has never hurt anyone – even God has disciplined his people over and over again, until they get it right.

 

Children can connive and can twist a simple pat on the back into something “abusive”.  An innocent kiss on the head can become a total molestation of the child. Where does one stop?  When people are wrong in how they discipline or “love” a child, then they certainly need to have the full force of the law thrown at them.  When parents do not accept that their child has been naughty at school – instead of supporting and stating that the school has every right to discipline, these parents “sue” the school. We have our own minds for us to look at the whole picture.  A child can say hurtful things like – I hate you, - when you discipline them, but in the end they see that they were in the wrong, they are not scarred for life, you still love and guide them and give them all that they need (not want). 

 

I reiterate what I wrote a couple of years ago.  Do we want a society like the UK and USA where the prisons are full to overflowing due to no discipline in schools and homes? Where presidents and prime ministers have agreed, that they should never have stopped the discipline in schools, in the 1950’?

 

The bottom line – forgive it is easier than having to carry a huge grudge for 30 years or more.  It does not help any situation, just makes one more bitter and look for revenge.  Which do you want in control of your life the Good or the Bad that appears to look innocent and good.

 

SUMMER TIME IS HERE

 

How fortunate that we live in a lovely country with super weather.  We must remember though the following:

 

·         When holding a braai or function at your home, ensure you get police clearance for more than 10 people, as it can be construed into an illegal gathering (I sometimes wonder what they do with people who have big families).

·         Ensure that your guests’ cars are parked correctly outside the property if there is no room inside and that the cars are guarded. Politely ask your neighbours if they don’t mind if the guests park on their curb.

·         DO NOT leave your electric gate on manual for these gatherings, as this is when our criminals ALWAYS seem to attack.

·         IF you have a guard for the cars, make a simple gesture or noise between the guard and owner of the property to know that there is a problem either about to happen or is taking place and he needs assistance.  Whistles are always a good thing for anyone to have who guards a property.  Let him wear it around his wrist, so that it falls naturally into his hand – never wear it around your neck.

·         Functions that carry on into the late night, make sure you have ended your function at 10 pm with the noise levels – it can carry on, as long as the music has dropped and the shouting and screaming of your guests has died down.  This is according to the municipal by-laws.

·         To try to prevent criminals entering, ensure you have excellent lighting round the whole house, braai area and vehicle area.  With the amount of LED flood lights available and the initial outlay, it certainly helps to have these which do not drain your ZESA and give off excellent lighting coverage. (I have contacts for these lights if you require).  If ZESA is off, make a plan either with invertors, generators or use another set of lights fixed using a 12V battery – naturally you need 12V lights to run off of these batteries.

·         Another preventative measure is to have your remote alarm activator around your neck.  At least if there are intruders, you can quickly press the remote to sound off your alarm and you should belong to a rapid response unit from a reputable security company who will attend immediately.

·         DO NOT have all your doors open.  If you are entertaining in the front area of your home, ensure your bedroom windows, back doors etc are locked, so that people can only be seen entering and leaving through the front doors.

·         Every now and again, walk around either inside or the outside of your house to ensure no criminal is around.  Usually when people are so involved with their function, they do not hear a noise like a window breaking and criminals ransacking the house.

 

RECENT INCIDENTS – BULAWAYO

 

Still a number of companies (those that are left) are getting broken into – usually by the roof.  Please make sure you have had a reputable security company install your alarm system. You are entitled to ask the person or company if the installers have a police clearance before you let them into your property to fit the alarm.

 

There are so many different passives and beams that you can ask to be installed.  Sit with the security representative and ask many questions as to what is available and what you would like.  DO NOT be bombarded with technical talk unless you understand it and if you know what you want or understand the system you require, state exactly that to the representative.

 

RECENT INCIDENTS – HARARE

 

Darwendale – A family who had put their little girls of 2 and 4 to bed and were just ready to go to bed themselves were shocked by some men who broke in and started attacking the husband with a Knobkerrie. He was hit constantly on the head, shattering his skull and eye sockets.  The men beat up the wife and tied her with barbed wire.  They then left the house without stealing anything!  The little 4 year old girl had to untie her mother from the barbed wire around her hands.  The father has had to have many operations and the mother had to have an operation to her hand.

 

What a terrible trauma for any person let alone a child to have to go through and what was the reasoning behind these men to do such an atrocious attack on a very well respected family in the community?

 

The police came to the scene but unfortunately lost the tracks of these attackers.  This is when the full book of the law must be thrown at the attackers when caught.  Our prayers are with any family who are traumatized and attacked, robbed in Zimbabwe.

 

BAD DRIVING

 

It is great to see the police out on various roads, stopping and fining the drivers of unroadworthy vehicles.  I would like to see the police in more areas where they know that pirate taxis drop off passengers at intersections, make U-turns in the roads and now I am noting how these Pirate taxis are pulling up next to each other, sometimes 3 side by side at an intersection.  No-one can cross over these intersections, no-one can pass the taxis without causing an accident to oncoming vehicles.  The police know exactly where all these problems are taking place as most of the police use these very vehicles for transport.

 

BANNING OF CERTAIN IMPORTED GOODS

Quoted by various people…

One person said he went to bed thinking he is finally getting his business right and the very next day wakes up to read that most of the things he imports has been banned. Food stuffs to stationery, and vehicles. Another businessman who has opened a stationery shop said he has problems as the tax officials are visiting him everyday looking at his books and if he does not pay a bribe make it worse for him. He refuses to pay the bribes as he is not making enough from the shop and has morals, so he just waits for the worst. What these officials are doing is criminal and against the laws of our country.

 

So many companies have closed down country wide – there are less and less companies to pay tax.  Yet one sees how the tax people drive the patrol cars (the attitude is portrayed as “I didn’t pay for it so I can drive how I like – hit the potholes as hard as possible, race around the country roads over 120 kms, who cares, as in a few months time I am sure someone will make sure I get another new vehicle”). 

 

I went to the shops the other day and you should have seen how a tax official had parked his car in a side parking waiting for a pizza.  He was only in half way with the whole other half of his vehicle exposed so that someone coming around the corner could have hit the vehicle.  Was this a ploy by the tax official?  Or does he not know how to drive? Unquote

 

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

 

Thanks to ABUZ Bulawayo they sent out 3 statutory instruments for the following:

 

SI 147 Chapter 13:11      Road Traffic (Safety-belt) Regulations 1987

                                    Road Traffic (Rules of the Road) Regulations 1974 – Part III Livestock

                                    (Driving of livestock along roads)

          Chapter 13:14      Vehicle Registration and Licensing Regulations 1999

 

If you are interested in having copies, I will gladly send them to you via email.  Just bear with me and the power!

 

COUNSELLING AVAILABLE

 

There are still a number of people getting beaten up in home robberies or whilst walking on the roads, children getting traumatized from the break-in or violent attack.  Remember children suffer just as adults, and victims need to talk it out.  So if you are a concerned parent, please organize for the child to see me or someone who will listen.  Please do not hesitate to contact me for counseling or a shoulder to cry on.

 

Crime Awareness is into its 13^th year of operation in Bulawayo and I am into my 16^th year since being involved with the Anti Hijack Trust in Harare.  Years of experience and I have managed to guide a number of people around Zimbabwe into operating business-like affairs in conjunction with Neighbourhood Watch etc.

 

I do not charge for counseling victims – they are survivors in my eyes – so naturally I still need a great deal of donations and support from the communities that I hold dear to my heart.

 

WISH LIST

 

If any company or individual wants to donate something towards Crime Awareness Bulawayo, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

 

Please assist where possible

 

·         URGENTLY REQUIRED – New COMPUTER hard drive, keyboard and mouse – mine is just too old and very nearly ready to pack in!!

·         Stationery – new printer cartridges for Canon being black 512 and colour 513, and any other stationery

·         Payment towards ADSL - only US$ 25 a month

·         Fuel is always needed