A night walking the streets of Nemato changed the outlook of a group of international students, and resulted in the work of the community patrollers they accompanied being made a little easier.
Netherlands based NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences has a strong international focus and one of the opportunities it offers its students is the Grand Tour – a chance to live and study in another country for three to five months. Port Alfred based Stenden SA is a popular choice and a strong emphasis on community engagement sees these students participate in several local initiatives.
Masiphatisane Community Service Centre volunteers conduct nightly patrols on the streets of Nemato and Station Hill. NHL Stenden Grand Tour students doing minor modules in conflict management and digital storytelling joined them on one of their patrols. They shared some of what they’d learned during a handover by the students last Thursday of uniforms and equipment to the Masiphathisane patrollers.
Third-year NHL Stenden student Wessel de Vos spoke on behalf of the students, who are doing either conflict resolution or digital storytelling as minors within their degrees.
Together they had raised funds to buy 20 smart, branded uniforms (pants, tops and caps), eight torches and 12 two-way radios which they handed over at Mamityi Gidana Stadium on Thursday June 19. Still to arrive were reflective vests. In addition, the group of students had arranged for Stenden SA to provide the group with a weekly meeting space. And Stenden lecturer Alroy Taai would be arranging for them to receive training in conflict management, as well as accredited security training.
“On behalf of the whole group I would like to thank you for the things you do for the township, but also for showing us that although things are not always safe, you make it a little safer,” De Vos said.
Masiphatisane chairperson Ayanda Zoli in turn thanked the students for their donation to the patrollers.
“You’ve made us so proud today,” Zoli said. “We’ve been struggling without uniforms or equipment but today we are so happy. On behalf of the whole group, thank you very much for the great support that you gave us as the community of Port Alfred.”
Speaking to Talk of the Town afterwards, patrol volunteer Esteline Swartz said it had been a privilege to work with the Stenden students.
Fellow patroller Michael Qalane said, “I really appreciated what they did. We’re going to look good out there. We’ll be recognised – and that gives us more respect and dignity.”
Speaking to Talk of the Town afterwards, De Vos said of the Nemato street patrol experience, “In the Netherlands, we have safety and we take it for granted and it’s always there: you can walk around at night, you can walk around early in the morning.
“Here, I learnt that safety isn’t always something you can take for granted and that it’s really important that people stand up for safety like the street patrol does.”
De Vos is doing a minor in conflict resolution. Of the night with the patrollers, he said, “It was my most memorable experience from South Africa. I don’t recommend it to anybody because it’s not a nice thing to do. But if you’re a conflict resolution student, you have to go with them and see for yourself.”
Evelijn van Let is studying retail management and entrepreneurship in the Netherlands. In South Africa, she is doing a minor in digital storytelling.
Of the patrollers’ work, she said, “This story needs to be told. It needs to be made safe on the streets at night, especially for women and children. We saw how the patrollers handle the situation respectfully. It was really good to see, but it was also really hard to see.”
Pedagogy student Marije Akkerman said the experience of being on a night patrol had been a real eye opener.
“I cannot imagine being a child growing up in an environment where you’re not safe.”
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, June 26, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.