Residents around Khalavha, Tshikombani, Dopeni and Tshirenzheni say they cannot deal with the growing problem of gangsterism around communities and at schools anymore and are close to starting to take the law into their own hands if that is the only way to put a stop to the intimidation they are being subjected to.
Mr Joshua Simango of the Boko Foundation says his organisation motivates young people who have fallen into bad behaviour early on in their lives. "If we don't motivate them early, they will find violence and bullying fun. We hope that school learners report any acts or incidents that pose a threat to a healthy child at their school, so that a peaceful learning environment can be maintained."
Simango says residents live in fear every day as rampant gangsterism, drugs and general lawlessness continue to choke community members and school pupils. Young children at schools such as Tshifhena, Jack Lavhengwa and Ramashia Secondary are also said to belong to notorious gangs secretly.
Simango claims that these gangs consist of a criminal ring of young boys from their own community. "We want to raise awareness about the dangers of gangsterism, bullying, abuse and a negative attitude towards certain subjects. We are demanding change in our youngsters because day in and day out communities are being robbed of their belongings. So, we will be camping out in front of the local schools until we see change amongst gangsters," he said.
One of the community members, who asked not to be named, said the community would take the law into their own hands if the police failed to curb the on-going crime. He added that, in schools, bullying was the most common form of violence, while drug abuse was also increasing among the young children in the area. He said that residents being robbed at knifepoint had reached an intolerable high, but that the police dragged their feet in addressing any kind of problem.
The police's spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, warned residents not to take the law into their own hands but to work with the police in apprehending criminals.