Alex Chapter appeals for rollout of Wi-Fi
ALEXANDRA – The increase in cell phone muggings of schoolchildren prompts the Alex chapter to appeal for free Wi-Fi installation.
The Alex chapter of South Africa Day has appealed to the parent body to consider installing free Wi-Fi in the township and establishing a feeding scheme for schoolchildren.
The appeal was made by a member of the interim committee of the Alex chapter of South Africa Day, Muntu Mbanjwa. The parent body is the Sandton-based South Africa Day which is spearheading a beautification project in Alexandra known as We Love Alex Community Makeover Project.
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At an interim meeting of the chapter in Alexandra attended by the CEO of the parent body Dr Bheki Shongwe, Mbanjwa bemoaned the rising tide of crime in the township, particularly the theft of and robbery involving cell phones, with schoolchildren and working women being the main targets.
With the advent of Covid-19, Mbanjwa said schoolchildren were now required to do schoolwork on laptops and those without using their smartphones which he said have become the prime target of criminals.
Mbanjwa added that the schoolchildren have their cell phones snatched from them or are robbed of them at knifepoint or gunpoint, either on their way to the malls that provide free Wi-Fi or while doing their schoolwork at those malls.
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He said many cases of working women being robbed of their cell phones in the early hours of the morning as they rushed to their places of employment have also come to the fore.
“We appeal for assistance in setting up free Wi-Fi to avert incidents of our children being mugged or the establishment of centralised places of e-learning where Wi-Fi could be set up.”
Mbanjwa said children in the township were thirsty for education but it needed to be accompanied by feeding schemes. A hungry child finds it difficult to concentrate in class, he added, pointing out that most of the children come to school on empty stomachs.
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