"I grew up in Site B and most of my friends are and were gangsters there. Now they are all messed up. We need more programmes for kids who aren't at school anymore because those are the ones causing the trouble," said local artist Sizwe Ngune.
Nearly 120 people attended the event, hosted by the Social Justice Coalition at the Isivivana Centre in Khayelitsha. During the two-day event, which started on Thursday, residents from different communities are discussing a range of topics such as youth gangs, police brutality and sexual violence.
"We should be working with those who were gangsters to help the children today ... We also want to know how ward councillors allocate funds to projects focused on the youth," Ngune said.
He was responding to a presentation by Amanda Dissel from the Western Cape Department of Community Safety. During her presentation, Dissel said that 13.4% of the murders for the 2015/16 period in the Western Cape were gang-related. She said that according to South African Police Service (SAPS) statistics released in May 2017, 76% of the attempted murder cases in Bishop Lavis were gang-related.
SOURCE:ALL AFRICA
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