By Nangamso Mabindla
7 March 2006

A VIOLENCE prevention programme will soon have an impact on the Buffalo City township of Mdantsane.

The South African and German governments have signed a co-operation agreement, with the German government earmarking some R35-million for the Mdantsane Violence Prevention Programme, a project that plans to tackle the issue holistically.

The suggested programme has six components:

• violence prevention in schools;
• gender-based violence prevention;
• community violence prevention;
• sport, culture and economic development;
• public spaces; and
• community development funding.

To ensure the success of the Mdantsane project, a feasibility study is being conducted by German Company SUM Consult along with local violence prevention experts Safrica Development Services.

The experts worked closely with Buffalo City's Mdantsane's Urban Renewal Programme unit. Workshops were held with various interested parties. The comments and suggestions gathered helped inform and refine the eventual programme proposal, said Safrica Development Services' Mxolisi Khalane.

The proposal will be submitted for consideration at the end of the week. "We have a fantastic document and we think that people will be amazed when we present it to them," he said.

The proposed Mdantsane Violence Prevention Programme will tackle the issues identified through recently held workshops in an integrated manner, focusing on the underlying problems not just on the symptoms, Khalane said.

"It will also be in line with other crime prevention initiatives in the township," he added.

"Some memorandums of understanding have already been signed, formalising the co-operation between the programme and various government departments and corporate sector players."

Once the feasibility study is complete, the final programme proposal will be submitted to Buffalo City for consideration.