Two retired police officers join fight against school violence

With incidents of school violence, bullying, vandalism, gangsterism as well as drug and alcohol abuse on the rise in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, the Safer South Africa Foundation (SSAF) has stepped up its crime-prevention efforts to stem the worrisome scourge.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of two retired police officers to work together with local authorities,” said SSAF CEO retired Gen Riah Phiyega. “The provincial coordinator for Mpumalanga is Col (Bishop) Simon Moyane (retired), while Brig Phuti Setati (retired) will lead Limpopo province.”

Their appointments are in line with SSAF’s growth strategy in terms of which provincial coordinators have been appointed in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, Free State, the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and North West.

Gen Phiyega said SSAF was pleased that they had responded positively to the pleas of parents, educators and the communities at large in the respective provinces for urgent steps to be taken in view of the escalating violence in schools.

Brig Setati started off his policing career in 1983 and served as station commander in Limpopo before being promoted to police spokesperson at the national office. “I am pleased that I have been given the opportunity to serve my community yet again,” he explained. “The work we are doing clears up myths and misunderstandings and improves collaboration between the police and communities. This way, we can nip crime in the bud.”

Both Col Moyane and Brig Setati have hit the ground running, engaging with education and criminal justice authorities with a view to rolling out the SSAF’s Criminal Justice Programme from early next year. The aim is to reach at least six schools and about 300 learners each year per province.

The Criminal Justice Programme is presented to Grade 10 and 11 learners and is aimed at ensuring that the learners are exposed to the entire criminal justice system value chain, the role of each agency, the legislative framework informing the mandates of the practitioners as well as the individual rights and responsibilities of citizens. Learners will also visit a correctional service centre to learn about life in prison and attend a mock trial in court to understand different roles played by the prosecutor, the magistrate, and the police.

Date:12 December 2020

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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