Life is tough for the youth of Sebokeng and Sharpeville townships in Emfuleni as economic opportunities are scarce and projects aimed at improving the area have stalled.
Sowetan spoke to some of the youth about their daily struggles to improve their lives in an environment where basic services have totally collapsed.
Prudence Hlanyane, the coordinator in the Sharpeville Development Initiative, detailed how projects aimed at helping the youth have stalled. One of the projects is a rehabilitation centre in Sharpeville that is hidden by tall grass in the yard.
She said the rehabilitation centre was in the integrated development plan of Emfuleni for about five years but never got completed. “A lot of addicted boys have no place to go. There are no rehab centres in Sharpeville. People have to go to places like Nigel to get help. This centre would have played a big role. The centre would have also brought awareness for the youth on the dangers of getting into substance abuse.
“It is situated right inside the community, which is a big advantage. My experience working with the youth is that if you take someone away for rehabilitation, when they come back they face a lot of triggers and return to substance abuse. Treating a person close to where they live, they see the triggers every day, the success rate of that child is higher,” Hlanyane said.
Her organisation links the youth to skills development programmes for economic opportunities.
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Hlanyane said most youth who get into substance abuse leave the township and head to Vanderbijpark and other towns where they work in parking lots or sell recyclable materials to feed their addiction.
Another facility that has remained unused for years is an early child development centre in the township.
Lehlohonolo Maduna, 33, of Zone 12 in Sebokeng wanted to be a teacher but he failed his matric in 2007. He then worked at Rand Water for 18 months but got injured and underwent surgery. He was deployed to do light work and later the contract ended. He now relies on a neighbour who calls him each time there are piece jobs in industrial firms nearby.
Maduna has two children aged five and three. He is now part of a group of young people along Wessels Mota Street who run small business outside their homes.
The businesses include restaurants, car washes, salons, snack shops and a place to play pool. Maduna was selling fried chips but he got disrupted by the lockdown. “We want to ultimately have something similar to Vilakazi Street in Soweto where people can come and experience our township,” Maduna said.
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