Pupils march in Rabie Ridge for unity
RABIE RIDGE – Rabie Ridge school pupils handover a memorandum against racism, tribalism and drugs to the Gauteng Department of Education.
On 17 August, schoolchildren from Allanridge Secondary School, Dulcie September Primary School and Dr Mathole Motshekga Primary School took to the streets to march around Rabie Ridge and unite in the fight against drugs, crime and racism.
The chairperson of Allanridge Secondary School’s governing body and deputy chairperson of the Local Drug Action Committee Pastor, Sidney Masonte, led the march.
The march started at Dr Mathole Motshekga Primary at 9am, and Metro police were present to ensure the safety of the pupils.
Masonte revealed that the march was sparked by the recent rise in violence among school pupils, whereby children from the three different schools involved in the march were participating in violent acts against each other. Masonte said the clashes between pupils spilled over into the community and resulted in members of the community participating in racial and tribal-based violence.
According to Masonte, the committee was approached by the provincial government to put some initiatives in place to try and curb the spread of school violence.
The march ended at the Rabie Ridge Community Hall with various speakers addressing the crowd of pupils.
The Gauteng Department of Education’s director of Johannesburg East District, Mnyamezeli Ndevu, accepted the memorandum created by the pupils at the community hall and delivered a speech commending the initiative of the pupils and calling on more initiatives to be done by the community in order to obtain unity, peace and an educated youth.
