Community-safety startup Community Wolf has acquired Namola, bringing together two established South African safety platforms under a single operating model.
The transaction combines Community Wolf’s community-based safety reporting platform with Namola’s emergency response service, which connects users to medical, fire and security responders nationwide. Namola will continue to operate as a standalone product within the Community Wolf ecosystem.
South Africa’s safety environment remains highly fragmented, with uneven response times, limited reporting channels and low public confidence in available tools. Community Wolf and Namola operate at different points in this system. Community Wolf enables residents to report crime and safety concerns via WhatsApp, without requiring an app or specialised hardware, while Namola focuses on activating professional emergency response when incidents occur.
Community Wolf processes incoming reports using AI to generate real-time intelligence on incidents and trends. This data can be shared with law enforcement, private security providers and community safety structures to support more coordinated responses. Namola, meanwhile, connects users to emergency services through its response partner AURA, which provides the underlying infrastructure and national response network.
Warren Myers, Aura’s CEO and co-founder, said Namola had established a strong presence as an emergency response tool in South Africa and that Aura would continue to power its response network following the acquisition. He said the integration of AI-driven reporting with emergency response infrastructure could improve response speed and situational awareness.
Community Wolf co-founder Nick Mills said the company intended to preserve the Namola brand while focusing on strengthening its role within South Africa’s private emergency response sector. Fellow co-founder Michael Houghton said Community Wolf’s platform had expanded beyond its original WhatsApp-based reporting function into a broader safety ecosystem serving both individuals and organisations.
The acquisition brings together community-level intelligence and professional emergency response within a single structure, with the stated aim of improving how safety information is gathered, shared and acted on across South African communities.
