KNYSNA NEWS - A Hornlee-based crime-fighting community group, Crimefighters, recently presented a weekend programme to a group of young women who had either been victims of gender-based violence or had struggled with alcohol dependency.

Crimefighters, spearheaded and led by Denzil Rhode, typically takes youths - aged 13 to 21 - on hikes around Knysna, traversing roughly 55km in three days. 

However, on this occasion, Rhode and his troops took the 25 young women to the Harkerville Youth Group Centre for a weekend of team and character-building activities and awareness talks.

All the participating women were bused in from areas further afield in the Southern Cape such as Herold, Noll and Haarlem.

This was all done with the aim of helping the young women overcome their traumatic past.

Whenever it conducts an initiative, Crimefighters always enlist the help of various organisations to bolster the programme/s. On this occasion, they had the help of officers from a few Southern Cape police precincts, local farmers, Western Cape Department of Social Development, Knysna Fire and Rescue Department, Knysna Alcohol and Drugs Centre, TS Knysna Sea Cadets, and SANParks.

The programme was conducted from Friday to Sunday, 27 to 29 May, and culminated in a special presentation and handover of congratulatory certificates to the participants.

"These young women are beautiful and full of joy and we really appreciate them because the project was based on a lot of things, one of which is discipline (we must also remember – elke outjie maak 'n foutjie – and we are incredibly proud of them," Rhode said.

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