Chairperson, the community policing forum in Alexandra recently initiated a two-month, one per street, soccer tournament in the parking lot of the Alexandra Stadium. According to the CPF's community liaison officer, the goal of the programme is to uplift the youth in Alexandra and to take them off the street away from crime.
The programme further aims to encourage the youth to participate in sport, to change community perceptions about the policy and to reach out to the youth. Plans are also being made to organise a similar women's tournament.
The tournaments bring together young men and women between the ages of 16 and 25, from 1st Avenue to 22nd Avenue in the township. Each week the CPF volunteer goes door-to-door looking for aspiring strikers, fullbacks and goalkeepers, who stand a chance to ultimately compete for 15 bursaries donated by the local business school.
Registration in the programme is free and participants are provided with T- shirts and meals for the day. Through this initiative, learners in Grades 8 and 9 have been recruited to volunteer at police events and at the station's youth desk.
The ANC congratulates the CPF and police in Alexandra on their efforts to fight crime and their commitment to reaching out to the youth and building safer communities.
Ngiyabonga sihlalo. [Thank you, Chairperson.]