Pupils to stand against injustice

There are only three days left before 1 500 school children will take to the streets to stand up against drug abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence and bullying in schools.

The 2014 Tiles4Change march, which will take place on August 8, has quickly gained momentum with the addition of Spar Group and the Edenvale Rand Road Warriors as sponsors.

Members of the community and businesses are invited to attend the march which will kick off from Horwood’s Farm at around 10am.

In addition, this year’s event will be headlined by Mr Alexander “Shani” Krebs who, at the age of 52, was released from a Thai prison after serving 18 years for drug smuggling.

Mr Krebs arrived back in South Africa last year.

He was arrested on April 26, 1994, after being caught with 1.2 kilogrammes of heroin at Bangkok’s international airport.

He was 34 at the time and sentenced to death.

Mr Krebs’ sentence was later reduced to 100 years, then 40.

Krebs was pardoned on Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 84th birthday and was allowed to return home.

Through Tiles4Change, community leaders will educate and assist children before they are caught in the grasp of substance abuse, domestic violence and bullying.

Building up from last year, which saw over 800 pupils stand up against drugs, this year the march will be aimed at encouraging children to change their bad habits for good ones and incorporate sports into their daily activities.

Tiles4Change was started as a partnership between Karaglen SuperSpar, Karaglen Centre, The Bedfordview and Edenvale News, Edenvale SAPS and Pizzazz Entertainment.

The initiative aims to give children a support structure from which they can stand up against issues which affect them daily.

To date, Tiles4Change has raised over R150 000 which will be used to educate and assist school pupils on the dangers of substance abuse, domestic violence, school bullying and human trafficking.

Edenvale resident and former drug addict, Mr Gareth Potgieter, has joined forces with Tiles4Change and together with various other role players, will assist in spreading information on drug abuse.

Several events have been planned to entertain the pupils during this year’s march, which includes live entertainment and a hijacking demonstration.

Once at the centre, the pupils, their parents and other campaign supporters will be asked to buy a tile to show their support for the initiative.

Tiles for school pupils will cost R10 while adults will pay R50. Businesses will pay R1 000 per tile.

All funds raised on the day will go towards Tiles4Change and will be used in various forms to educate pupils and promote a drug-free Edenvale.