Background of Area | Project Overview | Community Meeting | The Way Forward | ALL MULTIMEDIA

The group held an initial meeting with members of the community to get an idea of the issues they faced relating to crime. The core issue that surfaced at this meeting was tavern drinking. Members felt that most crime in the community took place around the taverns. Fights at these establishments are frequent. Customers and staff walking home from taverns late at night are often attacked. Several elderly residents complained that they did not feel safe in their community anymore, especially over the weekends. Many admitted that they hid in their houses over weekends and did not venture out after dark. 

We set up a blog spot entitled 'Taverna Knights' and chose to lead an awareness campaign within the community entitled “Ekhaya: It’s our home.” Our broad aim was to help create awareness about the issues relating to tavern drinking and crime. We also hoped that if members of these communities spoke more openly about these issues it would reaffirm their sense belonging within their community. We hoped this would encourage them to come up with solutions to crime and allow them to take them back their communities. 

A TV documentary was produced which focused on drinking in taverns. This documentary investigated the crime emanating from taverns and looked at the issue from the perspective of tavern owners themselves. It highlighted some of the socio- economic factors contributing to crime in these areas. The group’s final community meeting was also filmed. Here members of the community reflected on the media our group produced. They suggested some solutions to crime such as imposing curfews on the taverns and forming neighbourhood watch groups to try prevent crime in their areas. 

Three public service announcements, in the form of soundslides (Be a Role Model; Dare to Dream; Be part of the process) were produced, which addressed the issue of children and drinking related crime. They noted that the easy accessibility of taverns played a large role in this. The announcement explored the social elements affecting children in these communities. They urged both adults and children to be role models within their communities. They highlighted the fact that increased drinking often derailed young people’s careers. They featured interviews with school children who spoke about what they wanted to be when they grew up and encouraged them to respect the legal drinking age. There is also a soundslide which explores the nature of crime in the areas and talking to the community about solutions.

Community interviews also resulted in several focused articles. These traced the history of taverns in pre and post Apartheid South Africa; as well as the current safety precautions which tavern owners and customers in these communities employed. As crime forms part of the broader social fabric of the community, we sought to give expression to this within our project.

Crime is a vicious cycle in which many residents found themselves trapped. Poverty, unemployment, poor education  and a lack of other activities all contribute to the high prevalence of crime. It was important therefore that residents were aware of their legal rights and the alternatives to drinking.  (Other interesting article: When the tavern door closes)

Posters targeted at school children and young adults were used to highlight the dangers of drinking. Pamphlets were produced to encourage people to walk home from taverns in groups. A brochure explored the impact of tavern drinking on crime in the community and the surrounding issues. A logo was created for our group campaign. This was used on our printed and online media, invitations to our second community meeting and thank you letters.

On a visit to Tantyi Primary School, the group explored how the children viewed their community, the things they loved about it and the wishes they had for their future. They drew pictures of these things for us which were used to make a banner for the school. We felt it was important to paint a balanced picture of the good and bad within these communities. By encouraging children’s hopes for their future we hoped they would stay away from crime as they grew older. All the content produced was then compiled into a news magazine to showcase the group’s work. 

All the multimedia mentioned above (in bold) can be found in the ALL MULTIMEDIA section.