Veteran CID manager bids farewell to community

Veteran community leader Shirley Aldum will be retiring as manager of the Rondebosch Community Improvement District (RCID) at the end of the month.

Ms Aldum, from Lynfrae, has been a RCID manager for the past 20 years.

“It was a brand-new appointment so I had an open canvas to work on,” she says, adding that she enjoyed all aspects of the job.

“I enjoyed forming relationships with the RCID residents who were awesome as well as building a strong relationship with Rondebosch police and also to change the perceptions of the public that they can support the men and women in blue.”

The RCID formed a strong relationship with private security companies, and Ms Aldum paid tribute to the RCID patrollers who worked in the community.

Ms Aldum also served on the Rondebosch Community Police Forum committee for 20 years and was the chairperson for several years until recently handing over to the current chair, Bernard Soules.

Mr Soules says he learnt a lot from Ms Aldum. “She was a respectable person, she communicated very well with the community,” he says.

Rondebosch police spokesperson Warrant Officer Lyndon Sisam thanked Ms Aldum, on behalf of the police station, for her dedication to the community and to the police station.

“It has always been Ms Aldum’s overriding priority to keep the community safe and informed and to bring the police a little closer to the community.”

Ms Aldum says it is hard to retire as she has enjoyed serving the community. “The time has now arrived when my husband, Butch, and I need to start smelling the roses and enjoying walks on the beach. I am, however, hoping to get involved with doing some voluntary work in the local community, it is in my blood.”

Heather McEnhill will take over as new the RCID manager at the beginning of next month.