Children's Futures Are At Stake
Gangsterism in our schools is becoming a menace and we need decisive action before the situation gets out of control. For parents whose kids have died and/or been hurt by gangsters on school premises, the situation is already our of hand.
We have heard about how the problem plagued the Western Cape. External gang violence is being imported into schools and has left many children and teachers traumatised. In some instances, there have been fatalities. We have heard the desperate cries of parents, teachers and pupils there.
If we thought the problem was confined to the Western Cape, we were mistaken. Concerns have been raised about school violence in KwaZulu-Natal and we remember the YouTube scenes of a pupil being stabbed to death by fellow pupils in that province.
A few weeks ago, there were reports of armed parents and residents in Bekkersdal, Gauteng, going to schools to protect their children against gangster violence that had spilt over. When vigilantism collides with gangsterism, we have a serious problem on our hands.
I have received disturbing reports about how children under our church's care were intimidated and hurt at one of the schools they attend in Gauteng. These kids come from broken and/or disadvantaged family backgrounds and are in our care to get a chance in life. The last thing they need is a gangster disrupting their education and putting their lives and future at risk.
The parent in me is seething with anger about what the children have been subjected to. A case has been opened and I commend the police for acting swiftly. I will monitor the matter to ensure justice is done. I owe it to the children under our care and to every child in South Africa who lives under the terror and fear of gangsters at school.
The government, parents, teachers, law enforcers and civil society in general must act decisively against the mayhem that gangsters are unleashing on our schools. Our message to gangsters must be clear: our children's school are sacred ground. And that sacredness starts with the government providing sufficient security.
Basic security, such as proper fencing, is still lacking in many schools. Take a tour of our township schools and you will be shocked at the openings you see in the fence -some large enough for a person to simply walk through. It makes it easy for gangsters and drug peddlers to gain access.
While it may not be possible for the police to patrol every school, surely the troublesome ones can be profiled and police tasked with visiting such schools regularly? With so many able-bodied young men unemployed, isn't there an opportunity to train them and have them deployed as security in some of our schools?
Of course, we don't want to turn schools into high-security zones but with a bif of imagination and mobilisation of the government, community and private-sector resources, we should be able to protect our children and schools. Ultimately, law enforcement is that state's responsibility and we need to see the government take the lead in protecting or co-ordinating efforts to secure our schools.
Newly appointed MEC for Education in Gautent Panyaza Lesufi was on radio talking tough about eliminating gangsters in Gauteng schools. The cynical were at their usual best accusing him of sounding like a security MEC. I am fully behind his resolve and we should support him. Our children, and the future of our country are at stake.
We have seen in Nigeria, through Boko Haram, what the daring and misguided can do to schoolchildren. Our kids have not been kidnapped but gangsters are jeopardising their future. We need to put a stop to it. As religious leaders, we are ready to partner with the government.
For starters, school-wide campaigns should be considered whereby pupils and teachers are informed on how to deal with gangsterism on school premises. the campaign would involve talks to pupils by former gangsters and reformed criminals on the dangers of gangsterism. And this is where the religious clergy could come in because they usually know and are in touch with those who might have turned from their wayward ways.
Children who become gangsters usually hail from poor backgrounds or broken families whereby they lack attention and love. While all must be done to rescue them from their destructive paths, when they break the law they must face consequences. It must be made clear that schools are a shared space and society will not allow gangsters to do as they please there.
