Most children are looking forward to breaking up for the holidays this week, but in Lavender Hill, pupils say it has left them fearful because they feel more protected from gang violence when at school.
About a week ago, in a desperate attempt to clamp down on the problem, which in a few months has claimed more than a dozen lives, the army and police’s Tactical Response Unit were deployed to the area.
But this has done little to ease children’s worries.
“We know this place is going to be rough in the holiday and there’ll be nowhere for us to go when the shootings happen. The holiday is supposed to be a fun time, but for us it’s a worrying time because we’ll be right here when the guns come out,” said Sharmean Hoffman, a Grade 9 pupil at Lavender Hill High School.
Another pupil, who declined to be named because some of his friends were involved in gangs, said he was not looking forward to the holiday as it meant he would have to stay indoors.
“I’d like to be outside with my friends, but I’m scared of being shot. I actually prefer being at school,” he said.
School holidays begin on Friday.
Steenberg Community Police Forum chairman Kevin Southgate said army and extra police patrols in the area were especially necessary during the holidays as residents feared for their children’s safety.
Education MEC Donald Grant’s spokeswoman, Bronagh Casey, said the education department had a number of security measures in place at schools affected by gangsterism, and these schools were therefore often places of refuge when gang violence broke out.
“For example, when gang violence flared up in Hanover Park last year, many learners reported that they felt safer at school than they did at home,” she said.
Casey said the department provided high-risk schools with security measures including access control, fencing, burglar bars and alarm systems. She said that this year, anti-gang intervention programmes had been increased.
“We have asked schools to identify learners that are involved in gang activities, so that we can place them into behavioural and conflict resolution programmes,” Casey said.
When gang violence broke out, she said, schools were instructed to keep pupils indoors during break time and police were asked to patrol before and after school hours.
Counselling was provided to pupils and teachers. Each affected school was provided with a manual, which included how to deal with pupils when gang violence broke out.
Casey said it was preferred that schools remained open because it meant pupils were supervised instead of being alone at home.
She said before closing a school as a result of gang violence, the following had to be considered:
* How many pupils would be unsupervised at home?
* Was there a mechanism in place to inform parents if the school was going to be closed?
* Had the police been informed and were they patrolling adequately?
Grant visited Lavender Hill twice in two weeks and discussed boosting security around schools with Community Safety MEC Dan Plato.
“Gang violence is a concern. Not only does it pose a risk to the lives of our learners, but also has an emotional and psychological impact,” Grant said. - Cape Times