Everything has consequences, but we must accept responsibilities and
learn from them. Childhood traumas and our circumstances can influence
the type of individuals we become, and if we grow up to be the best
versions of ourselves, that’s a win; however, if we turn out to be the worst,
not only do we suffer, but so do others around us. These are former high
school students that made bad judgments in life as a result of a poor
upbringing, negative influences from their company, and the pull of what
appeared to be the best thing in life.
‘A 20-year-old Mohau stated, “I grew up with sadness and trauma since
my father was quite abusive and beat me up every day. He was a drunk
and an initiation school leader, so seeing him do all of that inspired me to
follow in his footsteps. I began attending initiation school, which led to me
drinking, using drugs, being stabbed, and getting gangster tattoos. I did not
finish my initiation school since I realized it was not for me. I went to church
but became distracted on the way. My mother abandoned me before my
fontanelle even appeared at my paternal grandmother’s door, and I was
raised by my grandmother, although my father remains in the
neighborhood. So everytime my father came to visit, he would slap me,
even though I used to run to him with excitement as a child. This happened
until I was a teenager, but now I am capable of fighting for myself. I
dropped out of school because I was a nuisance in the neighborhood and it
became unbearable to live there. All of the traumas led to my beating
women, joining gangs, and being stabbed. I am a young father of two, but I
do not regret it because my grandmother assists me.
19-year-old Thando remarked, “I used to fight with my 21-year-old big
brother.” He smokes crystal meth, and whenever he gets high, he
constantly fights me. My mother works as a domestic servant and is only
home on weekends. In 2018, my brother nearly killed me over bread, so he
targeted me to stab me in the heart, but I was able to block the knife with
my hand until someone on the street intervened to end the argument.
Because I am the youngest son, he has despised me since grade one.
When I went to high school, I started promoting corruption and tormenting
other students, and with the group I was a part of, I began smoking
cigarettes and marijuana. I was expelled out of school in grade 9 because
my smoking buddies stole copper and electric wires from the school, and I
also had cases of hitting teachers.
19-year-old Themba stated, “I was subjected to peer pressure; I joined a
bogus initiation school, but we never went to the wilderness.” Being a
member of the gang meant that I mugged individuals, promoted corruption
in schools, and smoked marijuana. I was kicked out of school in grade 10
after receiving my final report, which was accompanied by a removal letter.
I became a taxi driver since I had nothing to do. I’m a really violent person,
so I used to beat taxi drivers because they made me wait before I could
pick up passengers, and I used to attack women because I’m a jealous guy.
They all stated that they were unable to enter certain areas of Orange Farm
because one of them had been stabbed as a result of gang violence. There
was a guy named ‘Anonymous #1’ who mugged Themba’s cousin, and
Themba and his crew stabbed him, which sparked the conflict between
sections and prevented them from entering certain parts. ‘We once went to
Spar at Extension 9 and were chased by a group with knives and pangas,’
Thando recalled. They would advise young males who look up to them as
role models to first show them their scars and tell them about their
tragedies in order to demonstrate that this life has nothing to offer.
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