Alex police’s social crime prevention unit adopted a youth-oriented approach to curb crime and to promote discipline among school children.
With its youth desk, the unit recently drew in Alex-born child actor Lungelo Madondo, now 23, on their schools’ anti-crime campaign to Eastbank High, KwaBhekilanga, Realogile and Alex High schools.
Madondo matriculated from Alex High in 2013 and features in the SABC soapie series Uzalo as a drug-abusing teenager, Amandla. The character is driven ito drugs because of dysfunctional circumstances in the home and ends up dead after dropping out of school and from the ills associated with substance abuse.
Madondo, who is advancing her acting career in Durban, urged the pupils not to act as ‘cool’ kids in schools but to be grounded, ordinary and normal in conduct, respectful to teachers and parents and open to learning and advice from teachers. “Your teachers are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you should utilise to better yourself for the future. Don’t pretend to outsmart them but work hard, take in their advice, develop a positive self-image, aspire to achieve and attain further university education and also, respect your fellow pupils as they may achieve better and be your future employers,” Madondo advised.
The product of a shack and disadvantaged parents, she urged the pupils to respect their parents and to work hard as these were irreplaceable attributes for success in life. She encouraged them to take advantage of free schooling in most township schools to enable disadvantaged children to progress further, also with the support of the many bursaries and scholarships available. “Do not shame yourself through failure but aspire to achieve and make your parents proud,” she said.
Madondo further urged girls to be more circumspect when selecting friends, “Do not be tempted into sugar daddy relationships for material gain which only lead to dependency on them, personal ruin and misery.
“Commit to education and better things will come when you are in control of yourself. Your attitude to education will determine what you become in life.” She also urged pupils against cigarette smoking, saying it progressed to nyaope drug use and destroyed lives.
“Rather hustle for education than for drugs, which lead to crime and sometimes death when stealing money or items to sell to sustain the drug habit,” she concluded.
