ANCYL backs Child Protection Week
ALEXANDRA – ANCYL urges for land expropriation in interest of children.
The African National Congress Youth League urged for the expedited expropriation of unused land around Alexandra for housing and development of child-friendly amenities.
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This was said by the league’s Thabang Lediga at the East Bank hall during the launch of Child Protection Week which runs from 27 May to 3 June. Lediga urged the government to expedite, particularly the expropriation of the vacant Wits University-owned Frankenwald Estate in Kelvin, which is said to be under negotiation between the city council and the institute. The land is an occasional site of conflict between land invaders and the police.
“Authorities should realise that overcrowding and lack of amenities in Alex deny kids the opportunity to reach their potential through all essential development phases of play, dreaming and feeling safe,” Lediga said.
These dreams, he added, should be nurtured from a young age and evolve in a spacious environment of sustained peace with adequate amenities. He said deprivation of land was the cause of conflicts and crime including rape and murder, and which children emulated and carried into adult life.
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Lediga urged the children to use the week to tell parents and authorities of their concerns. He urged for improved police visibility and for the community police forum to be revamped to make it more effective.
