Virtual Community Groups​
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All the groups are for residents only and as such you need to register using the Resident Form. This is to ensure that all possible-sensitive information shared on the groups are strictly for Muckleneuk / Lukasrand residents.
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You are welcome to exit any of the groups except Residential Safety as it shares vital information as and when it occurs. Please DO NOT clear the chat history of these groups as we will not able to retrieve the information for you. If you leave any of these groups - either by choice or accident - it is rather tricky and sometimes impossible to add you again as the platform regards the re-adding as “spamming” you to add you back to a group you have left.
Make sure you choose the right option if you want to clear history and not delete group
The different groups we have:
1. COMMUNITY creates a neighbourly feeling and engage with the wider community discussing general topics of interest, sharing events in our area etc. A platform where MLPORA communicates to the bigger community, sending out general communication / updates.
2. RESIDENTIAL SAFETY provides a discussion platform for the community to gain information and share their concerns and suggestions regarding safety and security in our area. It is NOT an emergency group and should NEVER BE your first port of call for an emergency! Please download the namola app which can be ur FIRST emergency contact: https://www.namola.com/download. Secondly dial POLICE on 10111 or Tshwane emergency on 107. If you are linked to an ALARM company, contact them - otherwise look at these emergency numbers for hospitals and the specific patrol vehicles in our area. Those who are linked to MHSI radio please call in the emergency
Admin and the participants on this group cannot be expected to be held responsible for your safety. You are responsible to call emergency services and cannot depend your security on this discussion group
3. PET COMMUNITY people with pets who are interested in pet related information, conversation, adoptions, lost and found pets and pet tips.
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4. SHOP & EVENTS is open to anybody (even outside Muckleneuk / Lukasrand as long as they are recommended by someone) selling and purchasing second hand items / brand new items or advertising businesses and events within the broader community.
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5. FOODIES is open to anybody (even outside of Muckleneuk / Lukasrand as long as they are recommended by someone) selling all fresh produce locally made. You can find the list of suppliers on our "quick look-up" page too
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South African Law and WhatsApp
Whatsapp has become a powerful platform to not only connect with friends and family but groups were created for work spaces and communities, like ours.
The privacy policy from whatsapp is something that there has been a lot of focus on and what we feel is neglected information is yours and the admin of the group's personal liability using whatsapp. It is important to understand YOUR responsibility by using whatsapp.
We are not professionals in this space nor do we promote that we know everything, but what we want to highlight some specifics for you.
According to Emma Sadleir:
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"In South African law, if you can delete something, and you choose not to, then you become legally responsible for the content.
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If you’re the admin of a WhatsApp group, you are also legally responsible for everything that appears on that group. If you had the option to delete the content and you don't, you become liable.
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Any administrator of a group whose members are abusing a group by posting fake news, hate speech, threats, incitement, or other illegal content could face legal repercussions if that content is not removed.
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If you are a member on the group and you do not object to the content or you don't leave the group, you are regarded to be liable as you chose not to take action."
In the light of this information we urge you to:
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be responsible with content that you share;
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remember that whatsapp is a public platform, it is not your personal facebook or instagram page;
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if you are not sure what to post, then don't post it or consult admin before posting;
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you are also liable for content being shared if you do not speak up;
MLPORA whatsapp groups are a privilege to use and should be regarded as such. MLPORA will in future be a lot more vigilant and strict about the type of posts that are allowed on the group, at our discretion.
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Here are some short articles as reference:
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Interview with Emma Sadleir (Digital Law) on Jacaranda radio
New hate speech laws coming for South Africa - including legal trouble for WhatsApp messages
Big warning for WhatsApp group admins - You are legally responsible for member posts
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Virtual Community User Policy
Purpose:
The purpose of our social media platforms is to facilitate the sharing of information in the MLPORA virtual community. Debates and conflicts on the platforms do not serve this purpose and will be deleted. No post of a political, racist, religious or offensive nature is allowed. Participants who fail to adhere will be removed from the platforms for a "cool-down" period which is dependent on the extremity.
Respect:
participants are expected to be polite and respectful to each other at all times even when opinions differ. Abusive, argumentative or offensive messages will be deleted and participants who persist and fail to adhere will be removed from the platforms for a "cool-down" period which is dependent on the extremity.
Objective:
each group has its own specific objective and information shared should be relevant thereto. Unrelated images, jokes, texts, or news that do not serve the group’s objective will be deleted.
Informative:
each group aims to share collective information meant to benefit all the participants, and collective conversations are meant to be with the whole community. For a personal conversation participants should message the individual privately.
Emergencies:
the residential safety platform is intended to inform about safety and security and is not intended for emergencies. If you have an emergency please contact your security service provider, use an emergency button, radio or call SAPS at 10111.
Timing:
to respect the personal time of participants, posting hours are between 06h00 to 18h00.
General:
MLPORA manages the platforms and will not respond to, or debate issues on any platform. MLPORA executive committee members are required to not post personal opinions nor to debate any issues on the platforms. No debate about this policy or its application is allowed on the platforms. Should you disagree with the application of this policy, you may submit your complaint in writing via e-mail and MLPORA will address this offline. Should you wish to raise concerns, suggestions or enquire on issues, please communicate with MLPORA via e-mail at info@mlpora.co.za