Busi Kheswa of the Gauteng Department of Community Safety writes:
Emulate the spirit of 1976 in the fight against crime.
Every year, our community members are reminded of the patriotism and selfless sacrifice the class of 1976 made to the democracy we now enjoy.
Unlike fighting for the one common enemy, apartheid, the youth of today are challenged with the unnerving task of having to confront the triple challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment.
Often these challenges manifest themselves into youth indulging in substance abuse, particularly nyaope, which often resorts to crime to feed their habits.
Consequentially, this requires a country to be determined, and be willing to strengthen advocacy for youth to actively participate in the fight against crime. Such an initiative was realised by the Gauteng Department of Community Safety through sustainable programmes such as the establishment of 92 Youth Crime Prevention Desks located in all the 142 police stations across Gauteng, community audits, school safety programmes, sports against crime, debates and dialogues on safety to name a few.
There is also a need for all youth formations to be involved in the safety of their communities by participating and developing safety initiatives. Our country has the opportunity to transform its wealth into sustainable livelihoods for its population, particularly the youth.
This can be done through extensive collaboration between government and various sectors of our society. Youth empowerment in such programmes will ensure that the country becomes safer for all. Let us all rally behind them and support their programmes.
