Scared parents in Mitchells Plain are refusing to send their children to school out of fear of continuing gang violence.
Ten people have been killed in gang-related shootings in one week, including Lesley Junior Bos, 23, an alleged 28s Outlaw gang member, who was killed in Eastridge Clinic on Monday.
Police arrested a 20-year-old suspect on the same day.
Parents in Beacon Valley say since schools opened on Tuesday they have refused to send their children to school fearing they will be gunned down in the streets.
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said there had been low pupil turnout at a number of schools in Beacon Valley as a result of the flare-up in gang violence.
Alpine Primary, Beacon View Primary, Imperial Primary and Oval North High were all affected.
“Parents have reportedly opted to keep their children at home amid the violence within the community. The WCED has asked schools to exercise caution and implement their safety plans if necessary. A request for increased police visibility around the schools has been made,” said Hammond.
The Daily Voice visited some of the schools on Wednesday, most of which were empty and quiet.
A letter sent to parents from Alpine Primary indicates that the school will also be shut today as a result of gang funerals.
A 37-year-old mother, who asked not to be named, said she had two children at Beacon View Primary and one child at Oval North, whom she had kept at home “to keep them alive”.
“At Beacon View it is all the 28s around the school and at Oval North it is the Spoilt Brats and Nice Time Kidz that have now teamed up,” she said.
“We are so scared we can’t send our children to school because we hear now the gangsters have Oval North uniforms and plan to hide between the children so they can shoot.”
on Wednesday evening, a march by the Western Cape Safety Forum was called off when the community failed to arrive.
Organiser Roegshanda Pascoe said: “We are disappointed because so many Mitchells Plain people contacted us, asking for help. We created a platform for them. There were four people from the Lentegeur Neighbourhood Watch and it’s not their area, but they came to support us. The leadership of Mitchells Plain needs to come together.”
Meanwhile, a meeting called by the Mitchells Plain Community Police Forum to discuss the renewed gang violence will go ahead on Tuesday evening. It will at the Shekinah Full Gospel Church in Beacon Valley at 7pm.