About 50 Bridgetown residents, along with religious leaders and members of the neighbourhood watch and community police forum, held a prayer walk on Sunday against drugs and crime in the area.
The walk was organised by the Athlone Community Police Forum, religious leaders, and Athlone police station’s spiritual crime prevention desk. A similar event was held in Belgravia on Sunday August 18.
Athlone CPF chairperson Sharon Classen said addiction was ruining the lives of young and old.
“This particular area sees a huge issue of drugs and domestic violence. We are hoping to mend and reunite broken families. There has been a positive response from the community, and we hope that it will increase. We want to start more initiatives to bring families together,” she said.
The group prayed at drug hotspots, including Bridgetown High School, the Nantes Park, Loerie Road and Sipres Avenue in Bridgetown.
“Cases go to court and they take years to finish. We are sitting with the same five drug houses for 40 years. Even with the council houses that the people smokkel in, it should be taken away from them,” said Bridgetown Neighbourhood Watch chairman Nazeem Davids.
Bridgetown resident Audrey Willenburg, said: “It’s now ‘dial-a-drug’, where they bring it to you on a bike. Many of our schools are also hotspots where drugs are sold.”
Moulana Shuaib Appleby said: “We hope that love, peace, and goodwill will become a reality in all of our lives.”