A betrayal of our freedom struggle

∙ Cope West Rand region organiser and Saint Paul’s Anglican Church minister Thloriso Phake writes:

As a former student at Phahama High School, June 16 1976 activist and ex Robben Island political prisoner, I feel so hopeless and disappointed about the immoral behavior of our students and youth.

I wish to bring to the attention of our students that we have paid dearly with our lives fighting against the previous education system.

People have lost their lives and other suffered permanent injuries.

People fled to exiles while others were imprisoned so that the next generation can enjoy a better education.

It was through our hard fought struggle that all doors of learning and teaching are wide opened for our students.

It is good to see our students getting free education and feeding schemes.

However, our struggle has been betrayed by students and youths who are involved in immoral activities.

They take guns, knives and other weapons to schools.  They are consume drugs, alcohol and have turned into gangsters

Young school girls get pregnant and classrooms often turned into maternity wards.

In turn male teachers are mentally paralysed as they cannot differentiate between a child and a woman and that is one of the reasons why they have sex with school girls.

Dit is een perd se prys.

We used to pray and worship one living God but today our children worship the devil and his angels.

Letter published unedited — Editor.