Every day, people voluntarily go out into the streets, without compensation, with the sole desire of keeping their neighbourhood safe. SMF News’ Reid Donson joined members of the Richwood Neighbourhood Watch for a night patrol, where they shed light on crime and their role in protecting communities.
Aiden Kidwell’s car, a white Hyundai i10, which he purchased recently and uses to patrol Richwood as a member of the neighbourhood watch. “I’ve been wanting to join for a while, and then I actually ended up getting my own car and everything,” says Aiden. “So, then I’m like, ‘Cool, it’s time for me to join now’.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
Near the west coast of Cape Town, deep in the Northern Suburbs, sits a suburban town called Richwood. The roads here zigzag in and out of cul-de-sacs, around play parks, and past local pubs. But Aiden Kidwell knows these roads well. He glides down the streets in his white Hyundai i10.
It’s 18:40. A call comes through on Aiden’s handheld radio. The man on the other side of the line notifies him of an “urgent situation” at one of the houses in the area.
“Copy copy,” says Aiden.
Suddenly, the mood changes. An urgency fills the air. Aiden shifts his car into a higher gear as he changes directions, speeding down Jonkershoek Road. Even in the urgency, Aiden is in full control. He’s done this before.
“You don’t really want to take your time getting there because you don’t know how serious anything is,” he says. “That’s why we’ll just put foot [to pedal] a bit, basically.”
However, almost as soon as Aiden reaches the house, he is told to leave.
“We are not allowed to [get involved],” he says, as he drives away. “It was a domestic dispute, but we are not always allowed to get involved in stuff like that […] SAPS [South African Police Service] is en route.”
Keeping the neighbourhood safe
Aiden has only been part of the Richwood Neighbourhood Watch (RNW) for a couple of months now, since around April 2025. At 22 years old, he is one of their youngest members.
The RNW works entirely on a volunteer basis, and members have complete freedom over when they want to patrol, according to Aiden.
We’re there just to keep the neighbourhood as safe as possible.
“I’ll generally go on night patrols because that is generally when we need it the most,” he says. “If we’re going out at night, we try to [make sure] that there’s another patroller or two with us as well, because we don’t want to always approach situations by ourselves, because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The RNW has about 15 dedicated members, according to Justin Christensen, an RNW member who owns a ventilation company.
“We don’t ask much. We want four hours minimum a week,” says Justin. “We are looking at recruiting and getting more people. We’ve spoken about going door to door.”
One of their members, Maxie Bjerre, joined the RNW about 22 years ago, after her home was broken into soon after she had moved to Richwood.
“We had a home invasion on New Year’s morning at two o’clock,” says Maxie. “[One of the criminals] said, ‘Money! Money! Give me money!’. They already grabbed my handbag [and] all our leather jackets.”
“With Dunoon being across the road, it can get quite hectic sometimes,” says Aiden. “So, we’re there just to keep the neighbourhood as safe as possible.”
A turnstile connected to a fence between Richwood and the N7. According to Jolene Grace, a Richwood resident, the neighbourhood watch was instrumental in getting the fence put up after a lengthy period of protesting. “We wanted the fence put up, as well as the turnstile gate, because of the quick exit [criminals] had breaking into [houses in Richwood] and running over the N7 into Dunoon, and then they are gone,” says Jolene. PHOTO: Reid Donson
Hennie Mostert, a medical first responder for the RNW, says that to be in this field you need to learn how to detach and be neutral.
“You have to have compassion, without a doubt, but, emotionally, you cannot take every incident as your own,” says Hennie. “That’s difficult, especially when it comes to little kids.”
‘Getting more brazen’
Aiden pulls off to the side of the road in Bothasig, just outside Richwood. It’s around 19:40. A number of members from different neighbourhood watches in the area have gathered here, along with members of law enforcement and SAPS, for a vehicle control point.
Members of law enforcement check passing vehicles for legal offences, like driving without a licence, while neighbourhood watch members stand by the side of the road to show numbers. One of these members is Prishen Naidoo, the operations coordinator for the Zone 4 Neighbourhood Watch in Edgemead.
Everybody has this false sense of security in Cape Town.
Prishen moved down to Cape Town from Durban two years ago and says that, while the crime in Cape Town is “mild” compared to Durban, he has noticed that the criminals here “are getting more brazen”.
“I think the big thing now is the visibility. Everybody has this false sense of security in Cape Town,” says Prishen. “And then there’s the lack of respect for authority, in terms of the police. So, I think that’s the biggest thing countrywide. Criminals don’t have that fear of police. I mean, when we were in school, if I dropped a wrapper on the floor, we were like, ‘Oh shit, we’re going to get locked up for this’. And today, it doesn’t matter.”
The Bothasig crime rate, in terms of burglary and robbery at residential premises and common robbery, from 2019 to 2024. The graph shows a sharp spike in residential robbery from 2023 to 2024. This is according to the Institute for Security Studies Crime Hub website. The Bothasig police precinct is the closest precinct to the Richwood area. INFOGRAPHIC: Reid Donson
White lights
At 21:30, a group of SAPS, law enforcement, and rapid response vehicles enter Richwood. Aiden follows behind. This specific kind of patrol is called a blue-white light and happens about once a month, says Aiden. The neighbourhood watch members (the white lights) drive behind law enforcement and SAPS (the blue lights) as they do a patrol of the neighbourhood. Aiden says that it is to show visibility.
“I haven’t been in a situation yet where I’ve been scared,” says Aiden, as he weaves through Richwood in a convoy of blue and white lights.
The sound of the car’s indicator fills the otherwise silent air.
Tick, tick, tick, tick.
A South African Police Service (SAPS) vehicle stands on the side of the road in Bothasig while passing vehicles are checked for legal offences during a vehicle control point on 24 October. “I wouldn’t consider going into law enforcement or SAPS,” says Aiden Kidwell, a member of the Richwood Neighbourhood Watch. “[The] reason being: It is definitely a lot more dangerous than neighbourhood watch.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, Aiden says that he actually gets excited to go out on patrol.
“I enjoy it quite a lot, I must say,” he says, his voice suddenly jovial. “When I’m on patrol, I don’t want to be sitting still. Obviously, we’d like nothing to happen in the area, but if something does happen, it’s nice because you can go out. You get to see some sort of action.”
As law enforcement and SAPS leave the area, the RNW members begin to say their goodbyes over their radios.
“I’m going to sign off,” says Justin over the radio. “It’s been a long day.”
Aiden drives back down Jonkershoek Road towards his home. It’s 21:56.
But he’ll keep his radio on, Aiden says.
Aiden Kidwell, a member of the Richwood Neighbourhood Watch (RNW), participates in a vehicle control point in Bothasig on 24 October. Aiden says that one of the highlights of his experience since he joined the RNW was when he helped apprehend someone who had a warrant out for their arrest. “We actually caught him up there by the shops,” he says. “When we get people off the streets that, for example, have maybe a warrant out for their arrest or something, it feels good.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
BM: Black Male
One of the ways that the Richwood Neighbourhood Watch (RNW) is notified of crime or suspicious people in the area is via a local WhatsApp group, according to Jolene Grace, a resident of Richwood who was part of the RNW a few years ago.
“We always just put out there [on the group], ‘Look here guys, here’s the description of three BMs, black males, with clothes fitting this description. They are walking down Woodlands Drive, and they are looking into properties’,” says Jolene.
When the question of racial profiling is raised, there is an audible pause.
“Absolutely,” says Jolene. “If it was a white man walking down the street or a decent-looking coloured person, you’re not gonna think twice about it. But, because it’s a black man and he’s sussing the place out, you’re thinking something different.”
“Are people racist [in Richwood]?” asks Maxie Bjerre, an RNW member. “I’m not a racist, so I don’t know. I don’t socialise.”
“I don’t know, if I’m being 100% honest,” says Aiden Kidwell, another RNW member. “For me, personally, no. But for other people, yes, maybe.”