Kids involved in gangs in an informal settlement in Cape Town have decided to leave the gangs after an intervention by residents.
|||Cape Town - Children involved in gangs in the Nomzamo informal settlement in Strand have decided to leave the gang life behind after an intervention by residents in the wake of two teenagers being murdered last weekend.
ANC Youth League member Monwabisi Rasmeni said 10 gangs were operating in the area and these gangs had recruited child members.
“We had a huge gang problem and we needed a solution and that is why we are here today. We are here to address the problem,” Rasmeni said after a community meeting about the problem yesterday.
Rasmeni said Thabiso Mazimela and Imanga Bota, both aged 17, were killed last weekend.
He said the community had had enough and they formed a task team to bring an end to the gangs.
The task team was made up of 25 community leaders including ANCYL members, concerned parents and taxi association members.
Rasmeni said that the gangs were armed, constantly robbed residents and they were killing each other.
“We needed to stand up as a community because the police can’t do it on their own. We even took their weapons away and that just shows that (the child gang members) are serious about ending this,” he said.
He said the weapons confiscated included pangas, golf clubs, homemade weapons and even sickles.
“These children want help and we are here to do that,” said Rasmeni.
“We will introduce more sport programmes and other activities that will keep them busy.”
The children, some as young as 12, said they had learnt their lesson and will not be returning to gang activity after pep talks and interventions by members of the task team.
One of the gang members, a girl, said she had quit school in 2010, and hoped to go back.
“We started as friends and we would bully children and then we got a name,” she said.
“But now I realised that what I was doing was wrong and the reasons that I joined the gang were wrong.
“I don’t even know why I stayed so long in the gang… I have listened to the messages that (the task team) gave us and I will take it seriously now.”
yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za
Cape Argus