A grade 3 learner’s disturbing answer to a question in a school activity has shocked mense, after the laaitie said that he wants to be a skollie and smokkel with guns when he grows up.
A picture of the answer sheet, vol mistakes, has gone viral.
The question, in Afrikaans, was, ‘Write a personal narration of five sentences about what you want to do one day and why you want to do it.”
The learner responded in Afrikaans, “Een dag gaan ek ’n gangster is. En ’n gun het in my hand. Ek gaan ’n gangster is. Ek gaan guns smokkel in my huis.” (sic) (One day I am going to be a gangster and hold a gun in my hand. I am going to be a gangster and smuggle guns in my house.)
Spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), Bronagh Hammond said they are not exposing the name of the primary school, located in the Metro South Education District, in order to protect child.
She explains: “I can sadly confirm that this did come from one of our primary schools in response to a question during class.
“There may still be hope for the child concerned and the relevant officials notified in terms of interventions. The individual circumstances will be investigated.”
Hammond added that parents should step up: “It is heartbreaking to see that such a young learner could aspire to something like this.
“Often children are influenced by the home environment and family, friends and community in which they live.
“As a Department, we can only hope to instil confidence, hope and good values so that our learners can aspire to become productive, law-abiding citizens.”
Abie Isaacs Chairperson of the Cape Flats Safety Forum says: ”Due to socio-economic challenges faced by our communities, unemployment, poverty, broken families and sense of belonging and no good role models in our communities, kids aspire to become gangsters as they see money, flashy cars and nice clothes and as per their indoctrination by gang leaders, who will pay you if you become a hitman.“
A former high-ranking gangster who killed his twin brother, Pastor Leon Jacobs, claims to help the learner, the root of the issue needs to be identified first.
He says: “These children are seeking acceptance at the wrong places.
“One of the issues is the lack of affirmation. And over the years it was the absence of a parent especially a father figure.
“But nowadays that system is outdated because laaities who have both parents also get recruited because you are present as a parent but absent with your duty.”
For an intervention, he advises that the youngster should be taken to a youth centre to see how other children with gang affiliations ended up.