About Us

Our Story

We have two stories, the first is about how Project Tracey came about and the second is about why we called it Project Tracey.
Project Tracey arose out of necessity. There was no plan to start a particular project, rather, it evolved to feed an important need.
As part of their duties in helping keep the area safe, Patrollers ask people who sleep on the street to go to a local shelter, where they are safer, have access to food and a bed to sleep in.
During a routine patrol, a female Patroller came across one such person and asked him to please move along to a shelter. He reacted badly and began to stalk and sexually intimidate the patroller, who subsequently laid a charge against the man.
The perpetrator eventually managed to find out where the Patroller lived and began to spend his evenings outside her home, where he would often pleasure himself.
Fearing for her safety, The Patroller opened a sexual assault case against the perpetrator and applied for a protection order resulting in a warrant for his arrest. After a few similar incidents, the perpetrator was arrested and appeared in court. At the bail hearing, the Patroller found out that other than her statement, there was no evidence in the docket, resulting in the trial being postponed.
Frustrated, the Patroller went about collecting further evidence. She questioned witnesses and collected photo evidence which was added to the docket. This antisocial man was eventually convicted and imprisoned, making the local streets safer.
A victim of a crime is often nervous and can feel overwhelmed by the procedures of the justice system, which is complex and scary.
And so in 2021, Project Tracey was born.
Why we called it “Project Tracey”.
Tracey was also a victim of crime. Sadly, her road rage offender was never traced. Although Tracey initially survived the accident, she was unable to have her face surgically reconstructed as she was undergoing chemotherapy which prevents the healing process.
Tracey passed away three years later, still severely disfigured, and never getting the justice she deserved. This important organisation is named in her honour.

Our Goals

1. To help victims of crime obtain justice
2. To help restore the public’s faith in the police department & court system
3. To help make the streets safer by assisting victims of crime to bring offenders to book
4. To encourage people to report crime so that we can get more resources at our Police Stations

Our Objectives

1. Choose and train at least one Liaison per area
2. To provide the Liaison with the resources they need to properly perform their duties
3. To pay the Liaisons a fair wage
4. Liaison support

Our Approach

FACT: Our Police Service is under-resourced; this goes for staff as well as items they need to do their jobs properly, simple things like access to the internet for example. The average Investigating Officer (IO) is overwhelmed with dockets, which must be updated every month.
FACT: Most cases take at least one YEAR to get to court and quite often by that time, the victim is no longer prepared to fight the case and so that case is dropped which is frustrating for the IO.
Project Tracey Liaisons will assist victims of crime. Depending on the crime, the victim may need counselling or medical treatment. The Liaison will answer questions and provide guidance on the justice procedure which can be confusing and leave the victim feeling overwhelmed.
The Liaison will provide advice and manage victim expectations and they will assist in gathering evidence should the victim wish to open a case. The Liaison will also assist the IO any way they can.

Our Status

Project Tracey is:
*   A registered NPO with the Department of Social Development
*   A registered PBO with the South African Revenue Service. Registration Number 2021/969773/08.
*   All donations to the Association are tax deductible in terms of Article 18A of Income Tax Act No 58 of 1962.
–   Classified as an ‘Exempt Micro Enterprise’ as per the Department of Trade and Industry’s Black Economic Empowerment Codes of Good Practice.
 *   Audited by Ardent Accounting, Tax & Advisory Inc
*   Governed by an active Management Committee which meets on a by monthly basis an holds bi–annual Strategic Planning Workshops to ensure that our goals and objectives are aligned with the trends in the carting industry.