While thousands of excited parents accompanied their children on the first day of school on Wednesday, Hanover Park parents held a march against gang shootings.
The peaceful picket was initiated after a learner was shot on Tuesday as he went to school. The small group gathered near Blomvlei Primary School, shortly before learners arrived.
Community leader Mansoer Arendse said gangsters always shoot when children go to school.
Arendse says: “On Tuesday, a boy was shot on the way to school. We are here to demand police visibility every morning and afternoon.
“It is unfair that our children have to duck and dive when they are going to school and that was the main reason we thought of the demonstration. The idea was to go to the schools, police and Metro Police and ask them to come up with something because we can’t live in fear.
“We wanted to take the children out of school, so we could keep them safe at home.”
Arendse added they will also take their plight to Philippi police.
He says: “If they can’t do anything, then we are going to have to do something about the safety of our children. On Monday there was a shooting while Grade R and Grade 1 learners were going to orientation. And no one is doing anything.”
Blomvlei neighbourhood watch member Rashida Davids wants diversion activities for their children, saying: “We are getting older and the gangsters are recruiting younger boys, from the ages of 12.
“We need to not only protect the children, but also prevent them from joining gangs. We can’t remove them from that life and then have them loaf around, there has to be activities that will keep them busy so they forget about the life of violence.”
Arendse said they will write a letter to all the schools in the area and ask about their safety plans.