Dalena Willedraadse. (Photo: Facebook)
The Vanderbijlpark community was plunged into mourning after Dalena Willeboordse (53), a dedicated member of the Community Policing Forum (CPF), was killed during a roadblock on Saturday evening.
The incident took place around 19:20 during Operation Shanela on Barrage Road in front of her fellow GPF members and several police officers. Willeboordse was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The driver was arrested at the scene and a case of culpable homicide was opened. He appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Monday, after which he was released on bail,” Capt. Tintswalo Sibeko, police spokesperson, said.
Jaco Gouws, Willeboordse’s brother-in-law who also lives in Vanderbijlpark, says she was a well-known and respected member of the area’s security structures and “selflessly sacrificed her free time to help secure the streets of her town”.
“She was the kind of person who responded without hesitation to any call for help – regardless of whether she knew the person or not.”
Willeboordse’s death leaves a huge void in a community for which she worked selflessly for more than ten years.
“Her path in community safety began at the time with the local neighborhood watch, after which she became involved with the CPF and later served as the secretary of CPF Sector 1.”
Gouws says her motivation to be so actively involved in community safety is driven by a desire to keep the environment, children, as well as her friends and family safe.
“She loved helping the community – and not just the community, but everyone she could help.”
Gouws describes Willeboordse as someone who also loved her family immensely.
“She would literally do anything for her people. If anyone needed her, she was there immediately, regardless of the time of day or night.”
Numerous tributes have since poured in on social media. A special convoy and wreath-laying was also held in her memory on Sunday.
Willeboordse is survived by her husband, son, parents, as well as her brother, sister, and a large family and circle of friends.