Mitchells Plain stretches far and wide. We’ve explored the many nooks and spirited people that give this precinct its one-of-a-kind personality. This week is no different. If you are familiar with Cape Town, you’ll know that despite its friendly neighbourhoods, and vivacious communities, there is a lot of work to be done in terms of keeping women and children safe. This week, Solomons Haven shares with us their heart and drive behind this very mission.
SOLOMONS HAVEN
We sit with Maria Solomons (founder), and Gurshon Arendse (HR) of the haven to give us some insight into how it started and how it operates.
Maria felt it her duty to continue with the work of Solomons Haven, after her late son brought two young girls and their brother to her for safety. She now views taking care of the vulnerable in our society as one of her primary passions and gets to work alongside Gurshon, who himself grew up at the haven, to become one of its main administrators among a wide range of responsibilities.
The haven is equipped with facilities which house and feed to vulnerable people. Gurshon says they started off feeding 100 people which has since skyrocketed to feeding up to 1500 people per week. Among those who are fed by the feeding scheme are pensioners and kids. The need for the feeding scheme increased after the pandemic, as it brought about rising amounts of unemployment and thus a lack of basic needs within the community.
Solomons Haven’s main mission is providing a place of safety to at-risk kids. They focus on quality education and believe this sets a child up to succeed in the working world. A good example of this is one such child of the haven, who now lives and works in New Zealand after being cared for by those in the shelter and then continuing her studies in teaching at UWC.
The work at Solomons Haven has drawn people from all walks of life, including tourists. Interacting with the children, then inspires tourists to participate in the feeding schemes, and in this way, they form part of experiencing more than just the hot city spots in Cape Town. They are given the opportunity to give back to the communities in which they enjoy beautiful scenery and culture.
Solomons Haven is an open door, as Maria puts it, it welcomes children into a safe space free from abuse, malnutrition and neglect. She says “to have tourists come and interact with the children is a big plus for me, it gives them reason to think there is hope.”
Donations to the work being done at Solomons Haven, can be made through their website which is easily accessible online.
Safety is such an integral part of living in the Cape Peninsula and Solomons Haven is creating a space of safety for those who are in need. Which brings us to our next interaction.
Robynne chats to Minister Reagen Allen (Provincial Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety). He talks about his designation as minister of this particular portfolio and also the impact that crime has in our society.
MINISTER REAGEN ALLEN
Allen is a Rocklands born young professional, who has firsthand experience of what life is like on the Cape Flats. Mitchells Plain is a place of gemeinschaft, which is that deep sense of community that inhabitants have in relation to one another. He talks about the need for safety in the Cape, which is one of the most vital priorities in his role in community safety.
Allen tells us that over 1 million international visitors have made their way into the Western Cape since December 2023. That is a staggering number, and this places a huge responsibility on his ministry to ensure the safety of those coming in. This is good news for the growth of the economy which has been dwindling for some time. Allen reminds us that “we need to ensure that we can attract visitors to plough back into the tourist industry and create jobs so that our people can ultimately earn, make a living.”
The tourism sector booms with bustling activity over the festive season here in sunny Cape Town, and that requires law enforcement, neighbourhood watch groups to be on guard to protect festive season vacation-goers both local and international. Allen says “we would definitely want to see that regardless of which country someone comes from, that that person is safe.”
The Western Cape is the only province in South Africa that has 17 500 accredited neighbourhood watch groups, through Allen’s ministry these groups are accredited, trained and funded. They are provided with resources, and they serve as the boots on the ground for the ministry to ensure safety of citizens in various communities.
There is no way one unit can manage on their own, which is why collaboration between ministries, law enforcement, neighbourhood watches, all form part of the quest to ensure a welcoming and safe experience in the Western Cape.
Allen encourages visitors to drop by Mitchells Plain in their travels to Cape Town. Mitchells Plain is a unique, warm and welcoming community with people who are friendly and engaging.
Our next neighbourhood treasure is a refreshing take on our culture. Let’s follow Craig to his meet-up with the owners of WeRProudly.
WERPROUDLY
Marc Jacobs (previous co-founder of VannieKaap) and Ron Petersen, are lifelong friends who have taken on the task of delving into their communities in a way that is truly unique.
Marc says that his experience with Vannie Kaap has opened up a whole new way of thinking around our culture and what is important to us. The way in which the brand has marketed our culture has given rise to the kind of work and vision of WeRProudly. He wanted to immerse himself further into the community to create more sustainable opportunities at a more integrated level.
In 2022, the director of MTN, Charles Molapisi visited the School of Skills in Mitchells Plain and donated 100 tablets and 50 laptops to the school. Together with the data scientist of the City of Cape Town, the possibilities to instil further learning within our culture, just expanded to a large degree.
What WeRProudly does is go into the community to pull on their strengths, and enhance them with the help of their stakeholders. Their work is to reinforce and highlight the work of a particular area in the community, supporting them by giving them access to a wider pool of resources.
WeRProudly have impacted local communities through up-skilling its members in profound new ways. One such way is teaching differently abled kids to DJ through Ron’s DJing Academy. These are the ways in which this platform has inspired organisations and schools to become more of what they already are by giving them a push into the right direction.
Ron speaks warmly about the DJing Academy and his interaction with kids with different needs. He says at first it was difficult to understand exactly what their limitations were but over the period he spent with them, they developed the DJing skill so well that they DJ’ed at their own school prom and also alongside him at one of the major festivals he is involved in.
The message these gentlemen want to share is that regardless of your situation or capabilities, what matters most in achieving your goals is your mindset.
There you have it for this week’s Brews and Views excursion, next week we have our final episode, a bittersweet ending, but join us for the last ride.
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