A Call for Urgent Change
A West Coast Community Activist
Western Cape:- In the streets of South Africa’s communities, something deeply troubling is unfolding.
Children as young as primary school age roam with gangster attitudes, showing no respect for elders, authorities, or even themselves. They mimic the hardened criminals they see around them, swearing, intimidating, and engaging in petty crimes that often escalate into something far worse.
As someone who has dedicated years to fighting for these kids through sports programmes, I watch this with a heavy heart. Parents are raising criminals, and it’s a fact that’s tearing our society apart.
But why?
And what can we do before it’s too late?
The statistics are alarming and paint a picture of a nation in crisis. Between April 2024 and March 2025, nearly 273 children under 18 were murdered.
That’s almost three young lives lost every day to violence. In just the first three months of 2025, police recorded 80 cases of rape at educational institutions. That’s including nursery schools and primaries, places that should be safe havens for learning, not breeding grounds for trauma.
Youth crime is not just a side effect; it’s a symptom of deeper failures. Official data shows that crimes against children, including gender-based violence (GBV), continue to escalate. Delays in releasing full statistics , only heightening public suspicion that the true numbers are even worse.
South Africa has become a “murder mecca,” as headlines scream, with an average of 63 murders per day nationwide. Newspapers sell on these horrors, but behind the numbers are broken families and lost futures.
At the root of this is parental influence, or the lack thereof. Studies show that 83% of people believe family life directly impacts juvenile delinquency, and a staggering 93% link parental behaviour to children’s outcomes.
In South Africa, where poverty, absent fathers, substance abuse, and domestic violence are rampant, parents often model the very behaviours that lead kids astray. Permissive or neglectful parenting styles predict delinquent acts, from truancy to gang involvement.
Kids learn what they live: If home is chaotic, the streets become their classroom for survival through crime. Non-family factors like poverty and a failing juvenile justice system exacerbate this, but it starts at home.
The result?
Children with “gangster manners” – defiant, disrespectful, and quick to violence, who see no value in education or community. I’ve seen this firsthand in the West Coast rural areas. Through West Coast Sports Solutions NPO, I’ve tried to intervene with after-school sports to give kids structure, respect, and something to aspire to. Sport teaches discipline, teamwork, and self-worth, proven to reduce youth crime and gang involvement.
But communicating with these children has become harder. They challenge authority, dismiss guidance, and escalate simple conversations into conflicts. I’ve learned to avoid confrontation to keep the peace, but it breaks me. Because I fight for them, not against them.
Parents, too, often defend their kids’ bad behaviour or blame society, refusing to take responsibility. This cycle turns minor delinquents into hardened criminals, feeding the prisons that are already 61.85% overcrowded, with youth making up a significant portion of remand detainees.
The justice system isn’t helping.
Corruption in the police isn’t the only issue; technology reveals more crimes than annual stats admit, yet convictions remain low. It’s often under 10% for serious youth offenses. Bail for juveniles is granted too easily, protecting the accused while victims live in fear. Parliament has the power to reform laws on child rights and juvenile justice, but action is slow, bogged down by bureaucracy.
Women’s rights laws, for example, have improved protections against GBV since 2021, but implementation fails when it comes to preventing youth-perpetrated violence. Strikes and protests by women in 1956 changed history; perhaps it’s time for parents and communities to rise up again.
This isn’t just a rant it’s a plea. If we don’t address how parents are failing to instill respect and values, South Africa’s youth will continue down this path. Sport programmes work, but they need support from families, schools, and government.
My upcoming 70th birthday Fun Day in 2026 in Hopefield, is more than a fundraiser for a swimming pool and sports initiatives – it’s a stand against this decay.
Parents: Teach respect, or watch your children become statistics.
Society: Demand better from our leaders. Let’s provoke change before another generation is lost.
What will you do?
This opinion piece is written by the founder and chairperson of West Coast Sports Solutions NPO, a lifelong advocate for youth development amid South Africa’s crime crisis.
