Beating outside Alexander Sinton High in Athlone. picture screen grabbed
The kids are not OK. And I’m afraid it’s only getting worse.
The examples we set as adults are clearly being imprinted and acted out. In the last two weeks there have been double stabbings at Cedar High School in Mitchells Plain, a murder at the Overberg High School in Caledon and a brutal beating outside Alexander Sinton High in Athlone.
In each case, school-going teenagers were involved.
Bullying is believed to be the motive behind two boys stabbing others multiple times on the playground last week.
They now face attempted murder charges.
I remember us playing very rough at school and yes there were scrapes and bruises, but nobody tried to deliberately take anyone else’s life.
A life that was sadly snuffed out was that of 16-year-old Deveney Nel, whose body was found dumped behind her school’s storeroom last week.
The killing has rocked the sleepy Overberg town of Caledon, where life moves slowly and everyone generally knows everyone else.
By the end of the week, a 17-year-old boy was arrested for the murder. These are both very young people who haven’t even yet reached their prime.
Then there’s that video of one young girl’s brutal beating of another outside the gates of Alexander Sinton, while being cheered on with obscenities from peers.
The attack is so violent and so relentlessly brutal that it is almost unbelievable, and definitely very hard to watch.
While the victim does nothing to retaliate or defend herself, the attacker - filled with obvious rage - is determined to inflict maximum damage to her face.
It’s that teenage rage that we need to be concerned with.
We only ever jump in with comments and analysis once the deed is done.
These kids need help on an ongoing basis.
I see the standard comments from the education department that counselling will be provided after the fact, which is great.
But I believe some of these incidents can be avoided, if counselling is ongoing.
I have said it before, but it bears repeating: there are many subjects that our kids should be learning, beyond Maths and Physics.
One of that should be conflict resolution, because we are sending some very angry and ugly adults out into the world.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za
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