Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Sibongile Manana has warned that South Africans must be wary of unscrupulous people who use learners in riots and other crimes as this would destroy the future of this country.
Manana was speaking during her visit to Nkolishi Secondary School in Tjakastad near Badplaas on 13 January 2010. Her visit was part of visits by Mpumalanga cabinet that the public representatives visit schools on the first day of schooling in the New Year across the province.
Manana has said it has been observed that in the service delivery protests that rocked the province in 2009, it was learners who were mostly used to torch buildings, barricade roads and some learners.
Manana has also conceded that as this riots serious affected effective learning and teaching and this obviously has a negative impact on the overall performance of schools and including matric results.
Manana has further called on the learners not to become involved in crime because they were destroying their own future. She said they must assist their government by protecting their own schools from criminals and not be the ones who vandalises their schools.
“You must not do crime because attending school does not exonerate you from facing the full might of the law. Anybody who commits crime will go jail and be removed from society,” Manana warned the learners.
She has appealed to learners to take education seriously as the future of the country is in their hands.
Manana, who was accompanied by Albert Luthuli Mayor, Councillor Nkosi, Acting Head of Department, Nontsundu Ndonga South African Police Service (SAPS) management later held a meeting with Nkolishi School Management.
Manana was told during the meeting that there was a concern among the educators about substance abuse among some learners in the school especially dagga.
The meeting also heard that some learners who are either perpetrators or victims of crime would spend a lot time going to cases attending to cases and this seems to be having a negative bearing on the overall performance of the learners.
Manana has urged the educators to continuously raise awareness among the learners about the consequences of crime and its impact on their schooling.
“Learners must know that committing crime will not only make them go to jail and if they are convicted they would have criminal records which might make it difficult for them to obtain employment future.
Manana has urged SAPS to assist the schools in the province to become crime free zones. She said this can be achieved by among others strengthening programmes such as adopt cop and sector policing.
She concluded her trip by holing a community meeting at Tjakastad Community Hall where she encouraged parents to actively participate in education of their children. She said parents must to inculcate a sense of goof moral values in their children and not leave everything to educators.
Enquiries:
Joseph Mabuza
Tel: 013 766 4055
Cell: 082 678 1450
Issued by: Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
14 January 2010
Source: Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mpumalanga Provincial Government (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/dept/safety_security_liaison.htm)
