After fighting through the bullets in the gang-war ridden area of Manenberg, all a matric pupil’s family wants now is to make his dream of going to the matric ball a reality.
This has been a tough year for 18-year-old Randall De Vlam, who lives in a household gangsters regularly frequent to smoke drugs.
De Vlam is a Grade 12 pupil at Aloe High School in Mitchells Plain.
“I really don’t know how I made it this far. It was a tough year for me,” he said.
Despite this, De Vlam dreams of being a chef.
“All my life I wanted to go to my matric ball and since I got to high school, it’s been all we talk about,” De Vlam said.
Even though De Vlam told all his friends he was going to the ball, he recently decided that he wasn’t going after things looked like they were all “falling apart”.
De Vlam’s aunt Carlene Maarman said: “We still owe R600 for his school fees, the tickets for him and a partner come to R700 and then there’s the clothes.
“His mother supports a house of seven on a wage of R400 and I am sickly so I cannot work. I wish I could but financially we just cannot afford it.
"My dream is to see him happy, he is such a good child, he really deserves it.”
The family has since come together to reach out for help from anyone who can.
Maarman can be contacted on 073 376 2982.