STAAN JOU MAN

MANENBERG cops have teamed up with the Human Rights for Youth organisation embarked on a campaign aimed at encouraging laaities to take back their streets from gangs. 

The teams visited primary schools across the precinct and held various talks and programmes ahead of Human Rights day to educate laaities. 

The project led by Colonel Harry Brickles saw cops arrive with the police band at primary schools where interactive lessons using music were held. 

Speaking to the Daily Voice, Brickles says the programmes are essential to fight the scourge of gangs and gang violence. 

He explains: "Gang violence has become more ruthless and heartless, leaving the youth paralysed in making good choices.

"March is Human Rights Month. Manenberg SAPS has partnered with Youth for Human Rights, the Western Cape Police Band, and schools in the Manenberg Policing Precinct to bring the message of human rights.

"Human rights is a sensitive matter, often only highlighted when one is in conflict with the law. We are all born free and equal, with the right to freedom of movement, education, and good living conditions.

"Unfortunately, these rights are violated daily, and it is essential for everyone to know their human rights." 

Brickles says gangs are stripping communities of their basic rights, as they mark territories and stifle free movement as even non-gang members have to fear walking around in their own communities. 

He adds: "Gangs and gang activity take away these basic fundamental human rights. We need our young people to stand up for themselves.

"They should not have to demand their basic human rights; it should be evident in the way we talk, walk, and treat each other as a community. We must celebrate human rights.

"Our young people often violate each other's human rights without realising it, through bullying and forming groups that become gangs.

"Gangs create divisions in areas as territories, which violates individual human rights. By choosing the barrel of a gun to bully the community into silence, gangs violate the rights to personal property, choice, and freedom of movement." 

This project is the latest in a series of campaigns by Manenberg cops. In recent weeks the dedicated officers hosted mentorship programmes and held prayer services where laaities lit candles for their classmates who have died or been injured in gang violence.

Community Police Forum chairperson, Pastor Vernon Visagie adds: "Manenberg police is really going the extra mile to bring home to children why the activities of gangsters are in conflict with the law.

"In order to address many of the social crime issues which later become bigger problems we need programmes like this that are structured around early intervention at schools.

"In Maneneberg, the thing about territories is so common that we don't even see that this idea instituted by gangs goes against our basic human rights."