Peace & Development

Urban Conflict Management

Peace and Development Project

Co-Operation South Africa – Germany

Department For Safety And Security
German Technical Cooperation
The Project
outh Africa has a history of violence, which is directly
S and indirectly the result of high unemployment, low levels
of education, and social overcrowding. Many young people
grow up in an environment of poverty and difficult social
conditions, which perpetuates the violence as the role model for
solving conflicts.
The National and the Local Government Police Service in
South Africa work hand in hand with community-based
programmes to assist in the challenging task of crime
prevention and crime management.
The Peace and Development Project started in 1997 and is
now part of the Conflict Management Programme, a
cooperation between GTZ and the National Department of
Safety and Security. The project aims at training young people
as Community Peace Workers (CPW’s), enabling them to
recognise existing or potential conflict situations in their
communities and to mediate and negotiate between all parties.
The project selects 100 Community Peace Workers (50% men
50% and women) to engage in their particular community
during one year service. The Peace Workers build strong trust
relationships with the people within the community, which
gives them high credibility to assist in crime prevention
interventions.
The project first started in Nyanga/Crossroads in the Western
Cape during 1997 and has subsequently extended to
Soshanguve, near Pretoria in 1999 and Khayelitsha in the
Western Cape in 2004. The contribution of GTZ includes
personal, technical and partly financial support to secure the
efficient running of training and operations.
The Purpose

C ommunities of selected low-income areas, in partnership

with key stakeholders, are using peaceful conflict management
and prevention strategies with the emphasis on youth
development.

Mission:
Crime Prevention
&
Youth Development

The Concept
Volunteer community service…
…for one year assisting the community as a Peace
Worker and gaining skills
during that time with the
perspective of good
employment possibilities
afterwards. Transport and
foodparcels are provided
during duty and training
times.
Community Peace Workers:
Who are they?
Community Peace Workers are young people
from selected low income areas who
volunteer a year of time, day in day out,
weekends and nights. They are dedicated to
make their own communities better and safer
places for all.
A Peace Worker‘s day is divided between
safety patrols on foot in their community and
intensive classroom learning of the skills and
knowledge needed to become conflict
mediators and true leaders.
The safety patrols as well as dealing with the
cases of social crime such as family and
neighbourhood disputes or debt situations, is
one leg of PDP. This normally includes a high
potential of violence and assisting in solving
them, prevents the occurence of “real” crime.
These cases are often not reflected in the
official crime statistics as they are
preventative and in the realm of social
conflict which, without intervention, could
lead to violence and crime.
The second leg of the programme is training
skills which equips Peace Workers not only
with mediation and leadership skills, but with
skills, experience and attitudes necessary to
become honest, responsible and productive
employees for any organisation or business or
to entrepreneurs in their own right.
Training

Basic Training
ƒ Basic Life Skills (e.g. leadership; goal setting; working with
others; facilitation skills; communication skills; conflict
resolution; human rights; problem solving and stress management;
first aid level l)
ƒ Project Operation Modules (e.g. code of conduct; roles and
responsibilities; information processing; radio communication;
report writing; crowd control)
ƒ Advanced Life Skills (e.g. HIV/Aids awareness; personal
development and emotional coping skills; dealing with victims of
crime; family law)
ƒ Police Training (so far Pretoria only)
(Subjects: law enforcement; bylaws; domestic violence act; point
duty; tactical training; community policing; first crime scene
responder; radio procedures; scholar patrol; land invasion; drug
identification; safe school programme)

Bridging Course Occupational Training

It focuses on the CPW’s
fundamental development to
equip him/her to further develop
and increase opportunities to gain
entrance into the world of work:
- Business English
- Mathematics
- Career Guidance
- Basic Computer Skills
After completion of a one
year of service and the
provided training and
courses, vocational training,
apprenticeships or learning
programmes are offered in
partnership with accredited
training institutes and
corporates.
 Services

Crime Prevention
Visibility and Support (e.g. patrolling in the community; contacting
people; getting information in order to negotiate and mediate before
situations get out of hand)
Conflict Resolution (e.g. between families, neighbourhoods and
individuals, in shebeens)

Crime Intervention
Dealing with crime when it occurs; drug-trafficking; illegal weapons;
citizen arrest; event monitoring with violence potential;…

Crime After-Care
First Victim Support (e.g. in cases of child abuse, rape, physical abuse)
Injuries (e.g. providing first aid assistance; calling the ambulance service)

Liaison with:
Police; CPF (Community Policing
Forums); Social Worker;
Community relevant
Organisations (NGO’s,
CBO’s…); Departments (health,
labour, education,…)

Community Development
Community Care (e.g. building relationships of care and trust;
supporting community structures)
Community Enrichment (e.g. cultural events; sport programmes; choir)
Achievements and Future Vision

Achievements:
ƒ Considerable impact in social crime reduction

ƒ 75 – 80 % employed or self-employed

ƒ Requests from communities for expansion

and extension

ƒ Acceptance by community members and

police

Future Vision:
ƒ Expansion to other areas

ƒ Sustainability

ƒ Safer Schools : youth peace worker groups

ƒ Sponsorships and employment agreements

ƒ To be fully recognised and accepted as a

service provider in the community and by all
other stakeholders
Contact

Ulrich Burgmer
Project Manager
Tel: +27 (0)12 342 0181
Cell: +27 (0)83 327 2880
Fax: +27 (0)12 430 4117
Ulrich.Burgmer@gtz.de

Jessica Wiegand
Junior Expert
Cell: +27 (0)83 644 5672
Jessica-Yawa.Wiegand@gtz.de

Prof. Marion Keim-Lees

National Training Co-ordinator
Cell: +27 (0)82 202 3454

German Development Cooperation

GTZ-Office Pretoria
Hatfield Gardens Block C (Ground Floor)
Crn. Arcadia-/Hilda Street
P.O. Box 13732, Hatfield
Pretoria 0028
SOUTH AFRICA
www.gtz.co.za