Cape Town North branch offers self-defence classes for teachers

AfriForum’s Cape Town North branch offered self-defence classes for Herbert Street Special School’s teachers in Bellville over the weekend of 22 and 23 July.

This comes after the school was targeted by criminals and faced an armed robbery. Some teachers even received death threats and endured sexual threats against them.

Yolanda Fritz, a member of AfriForum’s Cape Town North branch, heard about this and decided to drive past the school in the morning and afternoon to increase visibility and make sure everything was in order. “It is not right that learners and teachers should go to school in fear,” says Fritz.

A local security company, Civil Defence Force (CDF Security), offered to upgrade the alarm and camera system at their expense. Fritz took the initiative to organise self-defence classes for these teachers. The branch trained the teachers in collaboration with JP Muller from COBRA Self-Defence to offer resistance so that they can defend themselves and the learners.

“Afterwards, the ladies walked away much more confident, self-aware, and grateful for this opportunity. The Cape Town North branch would like to thank Baruch Church in Bellville for their premises. We realise that safety must be a way of life, but it is sad that our children can no longer go to school safely and that teachers must be able to defend themselves. Schools are important to us, which is why AfriForum also has a school safety guide that equips schools to ensure that they have the necessary and correct safety measures in place so that the school, learners, and teachers are prepared and safe in an emergency,” says Johan Crous, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the West Coast.

The branch encourages the community to get involved and make a real difference. Contact Johan Crous on 081 217 0150.