Forty Grade 9 learners at Tafelsig High School are challenging the normalisation of gun violence, calling for peace, safer schools, and a future free from fear.
‘We want a future’
“We are not born to live in fear. We want a future. We want to be here.” Those words, from a Grade 9 learner at Tafelsig High School, speak for young people growing up where gun violence threatens lives, disrupts education, and robs families of their peace.
Recently, those learners sent a clear message that they refuse to accept violence as their destiny. At a Youth Dialogue hosted by the Tafelsig High Boys and Girls Club in partnership with Gun Free South Africa (GFSA), the learners confronted the realities of gun violence, gang recruitment, and the pressures facing young people across the Cape Flats.
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Learners spoke openly, questioned harmful beliefs, and explored choices that can protect their lives and futures.
Using Gun Free South Africa’s Youth and Guns Safety Toolkit, the session tackled peer pressure, harmful ideas about masculinity, and truancy — factors that can leave young people more vulnerable to violence and gang involvement.
Protecting community
The message was clear: carrying a gun does not make someone powerful. “Real power lies in protecting your life and your community,” says Ben de Vos, workshop facilitator. “We cannot allow our youth to accept gun violence as a normal part of growing up. Through active dialogue, we are dismantling the destructive myth that carrying a gun equals strength or manhood.”
Tyrone Parks, mentor and coach of the Tafelsig High Boys and Girls Club, stressed the importance of environments where young people can build confidence, form positive relationships, and make informed choices. The club is a trauma-informed Positive Youth Development programme that aims to strengthen learners’ resilience and reduce their vulnerability to gang recruitment.
“Gangs target young boys when they feel isolated or drop out of school. Our mission with the Boys and Girls Club is to give our learners a safe space, positive mentorship, and the moral courage to walk away from gang lures,” says Parks.
Monique Hansen of Gun Free South Africa said prevention must start early. “School-based prevention work gets to the heart of the crisis before violent choices are made. By bringing Gun Free SA’s toolkit directly into classrooms, we empower learners with clear knowledge about firearm risks, challenge toxic norms, and help schools build real, sustainable safe zones. When schools become sanctuaries, whole communities begin to transform,” she says.
“What always amazes me, though it is not a surprise, is that these kids know exactly what gun violence is, where it comes from, and why youth join gangs. They are exposed to gangs and gun violence directly, whether through family members, friends, or the general community. The thing is, they know everything.
“My goal was to remind them what the situation looks like in the community, and to empower them to know what their role and responsibility is as a young person growing up in communities like this. These kids are so smart and aware of what is happening around them. They just need constant support and the feeling of safety to grow up without even thinking about joining gangs,” Hansen says.
Commitment
Tafelsig High School deputy principal Willy Swartz welcomed the partnership and reaffirmed the school’s commitment to a safe and supportive environment for learners. “Tafelsig High must remain a safe haven for learning. We fully back this initiative alongside Gun Free SA and our school support teams. When our learners take the lead in choosing peace, they set a transformative example for the entire Mitchell’s Plain community,” says Swartz.
A follow-up session with Grade 10 learners is planned as part of an expanded rollout across Grades 8 to 11, strengthening school-based violence prevention and positive youth development.
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