'Our youth are getting lost in this fight’

Shootings in Heideveld and surrounds have eased since rival gangs made peace on Sunday May 5, but help is needed to overcome the social ills that drive many into a life of gangsterism, says Manenberg Community Police Forum vice chairwoman Vanessa Adriaanse.

“We are dying in Heideveld. We need more, we need arts and culture,” she said at a public meeting, attended by Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale, at Woodlands Primary School on Friday, when about 200 people aired their concerns about crime and other problems in the area.

“The only help we get is when we feed our people and speak to gangsters ourselves. We are not getting paid for all the things we do; we do it for the love of our community,” she said.

Heideveld Development Forum chairperson John Goliath said there was no place for youth to play sport, and random gang shootings saw soccer matches called off.

Neighbourhood watches needed proper gear because torches and batons were no good against gangsters’ guns, he said.

“As much as coaches recruit people, gangsters also recruit people. Our mission is to get all organisations under one roof. Crime is taking over our community, and something needs to be done. Our youth are getting lost in this fight.”

Manenberg Neighbourhood Watch Forum chairman Radley Petersen said the Manenberg police station was inadequate to cover Heideveld, Tambo Village, and Manenberg.

“We have enough guns in Manenberg and Heideveld to start a war. These are not demands, this is a plea we are making. We need counselling for trauma victims because right now we are developing a second-skin trauma where people are starting to accept what happens in our areas.

“We don’t have a choice, we don’t have the help we need. If we can’t get more SAPS, can we request for more Law Enforcement to be on the ground as much as possible?

“When we get accreditation we get a box of goods including a whistle. What must we do with a whistle? We need two-way radios, and, in some cases, we need bulletproof vests as well as torches, rain suits and pepper spray.”

Sharon Lang, the chairwoman of the Seniors Forum for greater Athlone, said life was hard for seniors in the area.

“We have nothing, only our pension. Then we must still see to grandchildren who are gangsters and try to keep them in school because their parents have gone astray. We can’t even go to the shops. There’s nothing for seniors. They say we are has-beens, but we are the ones who pray for everyone. Without it, we will never be able to go on.”

Manenberg youth leader Meagan Ohlsen said too many young people had guns and were being killed. The youth had lost hope and had no respect for their parents or the police.

“Many of them want to get off the street, but we can’t help them. We need to show them that they can get matric and go study. We need workshops and people to speak to our youth. There is hope for our area.”

Mr Mathale said: “We want you to know that these meetings are taken seriously, and we work on the issues. We are not here based on elections but to create a better life for all South Africans. We will walk on this journey until we achieve our objective to create a better life for our people.”

Member of parliament for the greater Athlone area Faiez Jacobs said children should stay in school, matriculate and then apply for bursaries to study further because knowledge was power. He urged parents to spend less on celebrating matric achievements and put more effort into bursary applications.

“Matric qualification opens doors, and if you couldn’t do your matric then, you can do night school now. There are so many opportunities.”