GEORGE NEWS - Joining a political organisation at high school level is one of the solutions National Deputy Minister of Police Bongani Mkongi suggests to combat gang violence at schools.
Mkongi was speaking at a stakeholder meeting attended by school principals, senior government officials and community organisations on Monday 6 November at the Themabalethu Community Hall.
The meeting was arranged to address the ongoing gang-related violence at Thembalethu High and Imizamo Yethu Secondary, which is said to have claimed lives.
Earlier this year, in February, Thembalethu community leaders, taxi drivers, the Thembalethu Community Police Forum, teachers and church leaders, met in an attempt to stop the fights between the two schools' learners.
This followed a series of incidents where groups of learners wielding knives and pangas chased each other after school.
A learner (17) from Imizamo Yethu Secondary lost the use of his left arm after he was stabbed in the neck and back during a fight. On Wednesday 4 October, a 16-year-old boy was arrested following the murder of an 18-year-old in a suspected youth gang related incident in Thembalethu.
The minister, who spoke vigorously about crime in general, said that the current constitution is too soft on juvenile delinquents.*
"We are in trouble with this toothless constitution. When we drafted it, we wanted to impress Mandela.
"We must be hard on young offenders. Children who are 16 years old must stand trial," insisted Mkongi.
A large group of stakeholders gathered at the Themabalethu Community Hall to address gang violence among learners.
He stressed that it is important that learners join and form political student bodies that will help them become better leaders and play a meaningful role in building South Africa's democracy.
"Let us start debate clubs at school and debate issues such as drugs, gangsters and teenage pregnancy.
"Our kids need to be involved in the democratic processes of the country. We have weak community organisations; young people need to be involved," he said.
* Juvenile delinquents are minors, usually defined as being between the ages of 10 and 18, who have committed some act that violates the law. These acts aren't called "crimes" as they would be for adults. Rather, crimes committed by minors are called "delinquent acts."
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