Issued by: The Office of the Executive Deputy President
The National Youth Commission is closely following the situation in Manenberg, Cape Town, with great concern.
It is particularly distressing for us to note that a community of willing young people is being denied their right to learn because the safety and security environment in which this can happen has not been secured.
We feel compelled to call on the Western Cape MEC for Safety and Security to act urgently and decisively to defuse the situation and ensure the safety of the young people of Manenberg as they seek to exercise their basic right to education.
As importantly, we call on gang members - many of whom are also young people - to reflect seriously on the unnecessary psycho- logical, physical and emotional damage their actions are causing to other young people and the community as a whole.
No one - not even gang members - ought to have an interest in depriving any single young South African of the possibility of achieving his or her fullest potential.
The National Youth Commission is working hard to ensure the greater provision of opportunity and social benefits to youth via the National Youth Policy and the National Youth Service proposal. However, young people also have equivalent responsibilities to society - one of which is not to participate in the needless destruction of their own communities.
We wholeheartedly endorse the view of Manenberg community leaders that the people of Manenberg are in the best position to give direction to how the problem may be solved. We urge the police and all anti-crime groups to heed this advice and work with the community to develop an urgent strategy to correct an untenable situation.
In the absence of any discernable progress with regard to the situation of school-going youth in Manenberg over the next few days, the NYC will be left with no option but to make urgent recommenda- tions to the State President on the issue, as is mandated by Section 3(i) of the 1996 National Youth Commission Act.
Given the already awesome youth development challenge our country faces, the last thing we can afford is the destruction of the spirit of those youth who wish to contribute to a better community and a better country.
Mahlengi Bhengu
Chairperson
For further comment please call NYC Acting CEO Paul Johnson on Cell 082 771 8465.