Young people in Polokwane are pushing back against violence and social breakdown, proving that targeted community programmes can restore safety, dignity and learning where childhood is under threat.
In a country grappling with youth exposure to gangsterism, bullying and substance abuse, 192 learners from Bokamoso Secondary School and Lithuli Combined School have completed the Communities and Justice Programme — an intervention designed to help young people survive, and rise above, the realities surrounding them.
The programme is implemented by the Safer South Africa Foundation and focuses on equipping learners with practical tools to resist negative social pressures, make positive life choices and build resilience in environments often shaped by crime, drugs and alcoholism.
For learners from Bokamoso and Lithuli, the certificate ceremony at the Polokwane Library marked more than an academic milestone. It represented a moment of reclaiming childhood in communities where safety is often fragile and schools serve as places of refuge rather than just education.
The event coincided with World Read Aloud Day, reinforcing the link between safety, literacy and opportunity. Learners participated in a read-aloud session and presented a special item, supported by reading materials from the Polokwane Library — a reminder that learning thrives only when children feel protected and supported.
“For many of our learners, school is not just a place of learning, but a place of safety,” said Lithuli Combined School governing body chairperson Monica Legodi. She noted that the programme helped learners navigate difficult realities while affirming their right to dignity, security and focus in the classroom.
The foundation’s CEO, Riah Phiyega, said the programme addresses a national crisis with long-term consequences. She emphasised that when children are overwhelmed by social ills, the cost is not only personal but societal.
“When children are robbed of the space to learn, the country is robbed of its future,” Phiyega said. She added that literacy initiatives like World Read Aloud Day can only succeed when learners are safe enough to engage, concentrate and imagine beyond their immediate circumstances.
Programmes such as the Communities and Justice Programme, the foundation argues, are not short-term fixes but strategic social investments. Each learner who chooses education over violence and resilience over fear contributes to social cohesion, economic stability and long-term national wellbeing.
The Safer South Africa Foundation acknowledged the Polokwane Library for providing the venue, refreshments and for actively promoting literacy as a community anchor where young voices can be heard and valued.
For Social TV, this story underscores a critical truth: social innovation works when safety, education and community support intersect. In Polokwane, the outcome is visible — young people choosing hope, learning and possibility in places where the odds are often stacked against them.
