With the alarming incidence of rape among learners in Ikageng, the SAPS and NWU have teamed up with businessman Deon Botes to distribute security devices to Tlokwe Secondary School learners.
According to WO Ishmael Mohutsiwa, the alarms emit extremely loud, high-pitched sounds. They are easy to use; learners in distress need only to pull on the string that is connected to the alarm, thereby alerting the community.
As previously reported in the Herald, there have been disturbing instances of learners who are raped, assaulted and mugged on their way from school. To date, there have been thirty-three reported incidents in the Potchefstroom Herald and Midweek newspapers. Mohutsiwa believes this security alarm will aid learners and get the community involved in fighting crime.
According to Lerinda Muller, a Masters student in clinical psychology at NWU, the clinical psychology team wanted to embark on an outreach programme that could make a difference. In discussions with the Tlokwe Secondary School’s management team, the safety of the children was raised as a major concern.
‘We decided that we had to address this issue as a team. We then agreed to supply the learners with personal security alarms that they can carry on them all the time.
‘We would also like to educate the children on safety and when to use these alarms. We also want to involve the broader community and the police in this initiative,’ she said.
The organisers persuaded Botes, the managing director of L and D Innovations, to sponsor the initiative.
Muller says Tlokwe Secondary received 2 000 personal security alarms as a pilot study. They will be distributed among the learners for the next two years. ‘Thereafter, they will be rolled out to other schools in the area,’ she said. Mohutsiwa warned the learners not to use the devices in taverns or pubs and only use them for emergency purposes on their way to or from school.