Are pupils the perfect prey?
"I'm scared to be alone. I don't feel safe anymore," he concluded. The family's intention in speaking out was simply to shed light on the issue among parents and pupils alike.
Roughed up and threatened with his life by thugs in an alleyway; this was the fate of 14-year-old boy on his way home from school recently.
“I was walking alone from school when I decided to head downtown to get some popcorn. I made my way through a passage when a guy rushed towards me and asked me where I lived,” explained the youngster.
Immediately sensing something was wrong, he looked back to find two men had closed in on him like a predator to its prey.
“They asked me if I had a phone and I said I didn’t have one.”
The culprits allegedly told him if he didn’t hand over his cell- phone, they would stab him. They proceeded to rummage through his pockets in search of something valuable.
“They didn’t find my phone. All they took was about R10 or something,” he said.
The family decided not to report the matter to police since nothing was stolen.
His mother said her heart went a million miles a minute when she found out what had happened. “I was nervous because something similar has happened once before,” she alleged. “One of his friends was also approached by two men who managed to steal his cell- phone.”
His mother claimed school children were being targeted, even when in a group.
“We as parents cannot be there to look after them 24 hours a day. This may seem like a minor incident, but one day it will end up being a big thing,” she warned.
As a family, they advised both parents and pupils to have their wits about them at all times.
“I hope other children will become more alert. We try and protect them, but we can’t really do it.” The teenager was lucky to have escaped unscathed, but admitted he knew things could have been so much worse.
“I’m scared to be alone. I don’t feel safe anymore,” he concluded. The family’s intention in speaking out was simply to shed light on the issue among parents and pupils alike. They hope their story will encourage others to be safer and more alert no matter where they are. If your child has been the victim of a similar incident, email ncschools@caxton.co.za
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