Nearly a decade later, the instrument has taken on a new purpose in a country rife with violent crime. It is being used to alert women in Soweto, the country’s largest township, that their local patrol group is ready to safely escort them to public transport. “We could not walk safely in the streets before these patrollers. Starting as early at 2:30am until about 7am, the men patrol until the women have safely begun their commutes and then return to collect them in the early evening. Bheki Mahlalela, 50, has patrolled the streets of Soweto for the past five years trying to reduce crime and make people feel safer.

Source: Taipei Times October 03, 2019 15:56 UTC