By Emily Setona
QWAQWA – Learners of Morena Mokopela Secondary School (SS) on July 11 paid attention as ex-convict Mohau Monyobo shared his painful story of how two and a half years in jail changed his life.
According to South African Police Services (SAPS) officer Tlaleng Lakaje the learners of Morena Mokopela SS carry weapons to school, engage in drug use, have a high rate of teenage pregnancies and are susceptible to joining gangs because of their vulnerable backgrounds.
“Children at this school bring knives to class and we have learned that they abuse drugs and alcohol and there is a high rate of bullying and teenage pregnancy, that is why we are here today to motivate and inspire them to make better choices,” Lakaje said in an interview with The Guard.
Addressing the learners Monyobo said: “I was arrested for assault GBH for almost stabbing a person to death. I was given a sentence of five years but I spent two years and six months in jail. It is not nice in jail. When you get to prison the first thing that the other convicts ask you is, who are you and why are you there and they force you to do unpleasant things that you cannot report to the wardens. It is not nice in jail despite what you all might think.
“I encourage you guys to leave gangs and stop participating in gangsterism. You all know the two notorious gangsters of Tseki and Bolata, where are they now? They are serving life sentences in jail, so I urge you guys to please stop joining gangs. Prison is not nice,” Monyobo said.
The learners gasped with shock and horror as they attentively listened to Monyobo as he shared his painful story.
According to Suzan Lakaje, the founder of Pusetso ya Setjhaba a local NPC dealing with social issues, the learners at this school come from difficult backgrounds and that is why they brought several stakeholders to come talk to these learners as part of observing Mandela Day, which is celebrated on July 18 annually.
Morena Mokopela secondary school learners listening attentively to motivational speeches from different stakeholders.
“The reason why we are here today is because it is reported that this school has a high rate of bullying and teenage pregnancy as learners here abuse alcohol and drugs; that’s why we thought it would best to bring them information to educate them about the consequences of bad choices,” Lakaje told this publication.
For her part Ida Chika from the department of health said this school is attached to Bolata clinic and they see a lot of children from this school coming to the clinic seeking information on family planning.
“As the department of health we join such initiatives because the clinic wants the children in this area to know about the youth zone. Statistics in Thabo Mofutsanyana show that children in this district get pregnant at an early age, so it’s our responsibility as the department of health to share information with learners about family planning to avoid more cases of teenage pregnancy,” Chika said.
