Cape Town - “We not looking for trouble,” are the words of Felicity Roland, a crime fighter in Cloetesville, after leading our team into the home of a 17-year-old hitman whose brother was murdered while being a gunman himself; their mother recently escaped death after being shot in the eye.
The brothers are among hundreds, if not thousands, of teen or youth gangsters terrorising communities such as Cloetesville.
A firearm is hidden under his tracksuit as he hurries past our team and into his home, which is dark and smells of dagga.
He joins his gang members on the corner, who are keeping watch.
“Ons soek nie moeilikheid nie hier nie (We are not looking for trouble),” Roland assures them.
Roland, a rape survivor who has sent her own son to prison for gun and drug-related charges, is no stranger to gangsterism and has earned respect among the youth, whom she is desperately trying to help reform.
This week, the Weekend Argus focus is on juveniles entangled in a life of crime, finding themselves on the wrong side of the law and in prison.
Candice van Reenen from the Department of Correctional Services said close to 1 000 juveniles between the ages of 18 and 20 years are behind bars, with over 200 who have been sentenced.
“As of May 17, the figures for our juveniles in the Western Cape are 732 remand detainees and 215 sentenced offenders,” she explained.
Justine Gericke from the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services confirmed the figures.
The Department of Social Development said the number of children (under age 18) at conflict with the law and who were referred for diversion programmes between 2023/2024 was 1 026, while those who completed these programmes were 877 and the number of children awaiting trial and in secure care was 710 and those sentenced after facing trial were 96.
“To support youth at risk, the Western Cape Department of Social Development provides access to psychosocial, therapeutic, and statutory support services, such as school-based and community-based crime prevention programmes which focus on life skills, mentoring, anti-bullying and Substance Use Disorder services,” the department said.
“The department runs seven Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCC) for youth at risk, and those in need of a place of safety, and funds 53 NPO CYCCs across the province.
“In addition, the expansion of the Outeniekwa CYCC in George and Clanwilliam CYCC has increased facility capacity by 100 bed spaces for youth in conflict with the law.”
Roland, like many crime fighters in communities plagued by gangsterism, is keen to get school drop-outs back into the education system and for programmes to be offered to keep the youth at risk off the streets.
“Before my son went to prison, he threatened me with a firearm. He was 18 or 19 when he began using dagga and then moved to harder drugs and now he is imprisoned. I put him there,” she said.
“He has been there since 2022 for a case involving a firearm and drugs.
“This is my message to mothers, and fathers: we need to stop protecting our children and staying quiet about their crimes.”
A week ago, Roland along with community members and leaders held peace talks, asking rival gangs to lay down their weapons as one of their main streets became a battlefield.
“The youngest here to be part of a gang is between 12 and 14 years old,” she said.
“We want to bring those programmes back where we would take the children at risk from school and show them what a prison cell looks like.
“That is why we are appealing for more programmes and funding to help our youth.”
One of the families she is working with is the 17-year-old hitman whose brother was stabbed to death four years ago.
Roland revealed that the teen had been stabbed multiple times.
“The family was not able to open the coffin due to the way he was stabbed,” she added.
The teenage boys’ mother, who is 44 years old, is recovering herself after being shot in March in a crossfire and has lost sight in her left eye after it was penetrated by a bullet.
“I speak daily to my son, he dropped out of school,” she said.
“He still has respect for me. He said he wants to go back to school.”
The teen himself escaped death a few weeks ago after he and a group of his friends were shot. He was one of the lucky ones who was not injured.
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, said there were various programmes to help youth and to keep them off the streets.
“As the Western Cape Government, we do not want to see any young person getting involved in criminal activity,” he said.
“It is important to us that our youth are given opportunities so that they become positive contributors to society in general.
“It is also vital that as these opportunities arise, young people take advantage of them.
“This is part of the reason why we have our empowering Peace Officer (PO) and Chrysalis programmes, which focus on the development and enhancement of youth across the province.
“Since 2022, almost 300 young people have graduated as Peace Officers across various non-metro municipalities.
“This PO programme forms part of the Western Cape Safety Plan, which prioritises the strengthening of municipal law enforcement capacity across the province, particularly to enhance urban/rural safety and combat crime within communities.”
Allen said more than 10 000 young people have graduated from the Chrysalis programme, which was initiated by the WCG in the year 2000.
The course consists of various phases and, among others, the students will receive training in first aid, basic cookery, security training, peace officer, welding, office administration and electrical circuitry, to name a few.
The Department of Social Development said the number of children (under the age of 18) at conflict with the law and who were referred for diversion programs between 2023/2024 was 1026, while those who completed these programmes were 877 and that the number of children who were awaiting trial and was in secure care was 710 and those sentenced after facing trial were 96.
“To support youth at risk, the Western Cape Department of Social Development provides access to psychosocial, therapeutic, and statutory support services, such as school-based and community-based crime prevention programmes which focus on life skills, mentoring, anti-bullying and Substance Use Disorder services,” the department said.
“The Department runs seven Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCC) for youth at risk, and those in need of a place of safety, and funds 53 NPO CYCCs across the province.
“In addition, the expansion of the Outeniekwa CYCC in George and Clanwilliam CYCC has increased facility capacity by 100 bed spaces for youth in conflict with the law. "