Malalane - Business people in Mpumalanga's deep rural Schoemansdal area have launched a local structure of Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA).
About 200 business people have already signed up as members of the branch, which was officially opened at the Nhlaba Park in Driekoppies, south of Malalane, this week.
"By establishing this kind of structure, we will help our police to keep down crime," said provincial BACSA chair, Phillip Mkhombo.
He said businesses such as taverns would benefit from a collective effort to fight crime.
Seven local business people were elected to represent the structure in all 11 villages in the Schoemansdal policing area.
Chairperson of the local BACSA branch, George Willies, who owns the Way Inn complex in Schoemansdal, said monthly meetings will be held to determine the extent to which crime has affected business in the area.
Schoemansdal police spokesperson, Constable Sipho Nkosi, welcomed the new structure, adding that the police would work closely with them.
BACSA is a national initiative that started in 1996 when former state president Nelson Mandela urged business to help government and the police fight crime.
The organisation is a non-profit and considers itself a strategic partner in government's anti-crime efforts. BACSA mobilises business resources and expertise to help government implement anti-crime projects, policies and strategies.
