MEC Motshekga Urges the Phumula Community to Fight Crime and Xenophobia

The Gauteng MEC for Education, Angie Motshekga recently opened the Phumula Gardens Primary at a glittering ceremony. The school is part of the twenty schools which were handed over in Kwa Thema Ext 07 as part of the Infrastructure Programme headed by the department which will see forty nine schools being handed over to the communities across the province this year.

Addressing the community of Phumula in Leondale, MEC Motshekga urged them to help the provincial government in its fight against crime and xenophobia. “As a parent don't be happy when your child brings into your house goods that have been stolen. Don't buy stolen goods because they are cheap. You must know that in two out of three times, the owner of those goods paid with his or her life,” explained MEC Motshekga.

Speaking at the official opening of Phumula Gardens Primary in Leondale, MEC Motshekga said people who sell such goods are thugs that need to be sent to jail. She told the community that if they witnessed such activities they should report the matter to the police. “By saying you have bought idulas – tsotsi lingo for stolen goods, you are yourself promoting crime. If you don't help the police, how can they be able to stop criminals taking advantage of the community?” asked MEC Motshekga.

Before MEC Motshekga ascended the stage to address the community and invited guests at the ceremony, Zinhle - a learner at Phumula Gardens Primary, rendered a heart wrenching poem on xenophobia. One of the verses read like;

I'm sorry for being too dark for your Jo'burg
I'm sorry for cleaning the toilets you don't want to clean
I'm sorry for doing your garden, I'm sorry for repairing your shoes
I'm sorry for protecting your leaders while they were in Exile
Yes…….what you call exile……is my country
And most of all….I'm sorry for building South African infrastructure
Please my brothers let there be peace and prosperity amongst black African people

The poem shook all those who had attended the ceremony.

MEC Motshekga said this was what the children saw of their parents. She also said that these terrible acts of xenophobia will stay in the memories of children for a long time.

“What a shame that children had to see their parents burning people just because they are not South Africans. As government we abhor such criminal activities and we promise that perpetrators of such activities will be locked in jail,” commented MEC Motshekga. She also told the community that some of the foreign nationals are in the country because they were running away from problems in their country.

“Some of these people come to our country to help with their skills. We have to accept them and use their skills. Our message as government is that we have to accept our African brothers and work with them to build a prosperous South Africa,” she explained.

MEC Motshekga also explained that the government has taken a decision to strengthen Further Education and Training – FET programmes.

“We have decided to strengthen such programmes to help our youth with the much needed skills in developing our country. One of our priorities is to see learners taking subjects such as Maths and Science serious. We don't want to have graduates with no skill who just want employment for the sake of being employed,” said MEC Motshekga.