LRA Director Responds (extracted from comments)

2 comments

J Berdou said...

Having read the contents of this blog as authored by Trevor Nel and several of his associated contributors, I decided to respond as per Nel's invite on the blog, to his version of the "attitude" of the current LRA board and related matters. I set this out as follows:

1. I find the depth of criticism, jaundiced interpretation of fact and perchance to insult and recrimination which is replete in regard to the present LRA board to be quite frankly disgusting, uncalled for and unnecessary not to mention the total antithesis of the community spirit Nel subscribes to or so he says.

2. The present LRA board are most certainly not subscribers to mediocrity in service delivery especially when it comes to the provision of security for the residents of Lonehill.The pursuit of zero defect in this respect is the top priority of the present LRA board and the SAPS statistics reveal that Lonehill experiences far lower levels of crime than any of its surrounding precincts which is a clear result of the LRA security initiative and its associated activities. The fact that some criminal activity still takes place in Lonehill, such as what happened to Nel and several other of our fellow Lonehill residents, is simply not acceptable and should spur us all to redouble our efforts to pull together as a community rather than embark on the route of blaming the LRA board, who incidentally consist of fellow Lonehill residents giving of their time and effort and whose families security is of equal concern as that of all other Lonehill residents. In short we are in this together. It should be remembered that criminal activity still took place in Lonehill from time to time from the inception of the Lonehill Residents Association initiative, including during the tenure of Mr Nel , so to ascribe the blame for occasional criminal activity that still takes place in Lonehill to the present LRA board is not factual.

3. The fact is that criminal activity evolves in cycles with vehicle borne armed gangs being the most dangerous. By placing unarmed security officers in reflector vests on streets to give such criminals a fright, as suggested by Nel, is simply not the answer. Readers of this blog will know what will happen to such personnel if such personnel were to confront these armed gangs. The only way to deal with such a threat is to institute roadblocks using properly trained, equipped , armed and legally authorised personnel and to site such roadblocks at places of our choosing as far away from homes and schools as possible for obvious reasons.

4. As such, the LRA board, in association with the SAPS, has launched an appeal for residents of Lonehill to volunteer to join the SAPS reservists. Such reservists will receive training, proper equipment including automatic weapons and will be legally empowered to conduct searches unlike ordinary security officers. Additionally, the LRA board is in the process of securing donations of equipment such as vehicles, radios and roadblock materials in association with sponsoring corporate contributors.

5. The LRA Board most certainly does not believe that they cannot benefit from inputs from the community and in fact owes its existence to such community and its inputs and participation. But this cannot surely be taken as an invitation to destructively criticise, insult and demean fellow Lonehill residents who happen to be serving on the LRA board at present.Im sure there is no reader of this blog who would appreciate being spoken about as Nel has spoken of the present LRA Board on this self same blogsite!

6. With the correct counselling and mediatorial interventions, perhaps the tremendous and remarkably extraordinary efforts that Nel goes to in his criticisms of the present LRA Board, could be channelled into co operative activities with the LRA Board who, contrary to the impression given on this blog, remain open to such joint activity.

7. We owe it to our community to put all of this ridiculous recrimination aside and to get on with the job of focussing our limited resources and time on protecting the residentsand bettering the environs of Lonehill for the benefit of all its residents. J BerdouFellow Lonehill ResidentMember of LRA Board
Fri Nov 14, 07:24:00 AM 2008

Trevor said...
if the cap fits wear it... far more productive to answer questions posed on this forum which will show what the LRA Board is actually doing, or at worst, planning to do. Refer previous post linked in main post above - Lonehill: 42 Days - NO Answers Yet From LRA Talk is cheap. What does the LRA Board want to have happen? Who do they want to deliver on the objectives? Allocate tasks to competent people (volunteers and/or professionals) who will make things happen... and then get out of the way.
Fri Nov 14, 08:59:00 AM 2008