By Kotie Geldenhuys
Photos by Dariusz Dziewanski, Pharie Sefali/GroundUp
It seems that some schools in the country have become a paradise for gangsters as children are recruited to join gangs and turf wars are fought on school grounds. In August 2022, a 14-year-old learner at iKaya Primary School in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch, was stabbed to death while another sustained injuries in a fight which the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) described as a gang-related incident. A 15-year-old youth, attending the same school, was arrested (Payi, 2022).
By Kotie Geldenhuys
Each year, a large number of incarcerated offenders are released from South African correctional centres and returned to their families and communities. While many of them will continue with a criminal career and end up being incarcerated once again, there are a small number of them who successfully reintegrate into their communities.
Compiled by Annalise Kempen
Nobody volunteers to become a victim of human trafficking or modern slavery. And yet, it seems so easy for some individuals to be coerced or threatened into a position where they are being exploited. This is especially so when they are vulnerable or desperate to find employment or a roof over their heads. In this second article about human trafficking, which is based on the SAMLIT (South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force) report entitled Follow the money. How understanding financial flows and key indicators can help to fight modern slavery and human trafficking in South Africa, we focus on modern slavery and human trafficking typologies in South Africa.
By Kotie Geldenhuys
"When growing up in an environment where your father does not care about you and never gives you a pat on the back saying 'well done', it open doors for gangsterism. The gang leader will take on that role. He will tell you 'well done'. That is how gangs are built on the Cape Flats. It is not boys that woke up one morning and decide today we are going to become a gang. It is a process" - Clint Luikes, whose father was a drug addict who abused his mother while he was watching (Showmax, 2022a).