{"id":183063,"date":"2018-07-25T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/183063\/germiston-police-open-safe-house-on-mandela-day\/"},"modified":"2018-07-25T14:24:01","modified_gmt":"2018-07-25T12:24:01","slug":"germiston-police-open-safe-house-on-mandela-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2018\/07\/25\/germiston-police-open-safe-house-on-mandela-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Germiston police open safe house on Mandela Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

From a street away one could hear ululating coming from the Germiston Police Station on Mandela Day.<\/p>\n

The glorious sounds accompanied the excitement of the many guests who were in attendance to witness the opening of the Germiston SAPS Victim Empowerment Centre house.<\/p>

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The auspicious occasion was attended by members of the public, the Germiston SAPS Victim Empowerment Unit, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Johnson Matthey employees, the Department of Social Development and CBA Auctioneers.<\/p>\n

The Germiston SAPS Victim Empowerment Unit will prioritise victims of domestic violence and rape, as well as abandoned children.<\/p>

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It will act as a safe haven offering immediate help to those in need before they are referred to places of safety organised by the Department of Social Development.<\/p>\n

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Sarah Olifant, a Germiston SAPS Victim Support Unit volunteer (right), takes Howard Krais, a Johnson Matthey representative from the UK, on a tour of the newly renovated house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cPresident Cyril Ramaphosa introduced the Thuma Mina campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe as Johnson Matthey have long joined because we believe this campaign is important to our generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to understand that giving has nothing to do with our fiscal abilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cVolunteering your time to various projects is also giving back,\u201d said Ndima Rawana, site services director for Johnson Matthey.<\/p>\n

Ndima expressed the joy he felt when he saw the number of youth present at the opening of the house, assisting with the day\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cMandela Day should not mark the one day when we all decide to give back, we should all aspire to perform charitable deeds often.<\/p>\n

\u201cMadiba was never destined to live forever, just like all of us.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe played his part in knitting generations together and he spearheaded equality for us all.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our responsibility to pick up that spear to better our communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Johnson Matthey not only sponsored the house but they donated 100 blankets to the elderly of Ward 35 and Ward 93.<\/p>\n

CBA Auctioneers donated 12.5kg sacks of mealie meal to the elderly.<\/p>\n

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Capt Nomthandazo Moyo hands over a warm blanket to an ecstatic Thokozile Mpanza on Mandela Day at the Germiston Police Station during the opening of the Germiston SAPS Victim Empowerment Centre house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cCrime prevention strategies and unit empowerment programmes were created to assist us in eradicating crime and helping those who were affected by it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis house is the answer to the call we\u2019ve made on numerous occasions saying that we needed a victim support centre because of a large number of women and children who come to the station seeking help.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome come late at night and refuse to be taken back home because their abusers will still be there.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us honour our sponsors for this house by respecting them and their employees when they are in our communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us respect the emergency services personnel who are with us today even when they drive into our neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease speak to the youth in your areas about the damage they cause to our vehicles when we come to your communities to do our jobs,\u201d said Germiston SAPS station commander Brig Nkhensani Lemba.<\/p>\n

Among the guests was Howard Krais, a Johnson Matthey representative from the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

Co-ordinator for the Victim Empowerment Unit Maria van Zyl exhibited immense gratitude to the sponsors and everyone who volunteered to get the house in order ahead of Mandela Day.<\/p>\n