Portraits of smiling children, teenagers, and young people fills the counter of a long table.
A large picture collage of a young smiling boy grabs the eye.
It’s the pictures of 11-year-old Jordan Brown.
Jordan became the latest child victim of gang violence in Lavender Hill after he was shot dead along with his father, a prominent gang leader, on Friday 2 September.
On Saturday 17 September, families who lost loved ones to violence gathered at the Restoring of Hope event held at the Seawinds Community Centre to start a healing process.
Frances Van Wyk, an organiser of the event, said the recent loss of young children due to gang violence was devastating to their families.
“We as parents, when our kids reach a certain age, we say that they will become a dentist or maybe a doctor. That is all our hopes and dreams we have for our children.
“And those hopes and dreams Jordan’s mom had for him stopped at the age of 11 which I don’t think is fair.
“Christmas clothes will never be bought for him again. All the hopes and dreams his mother had for him are gone.”
Mark Nicholson, a director at Rise Above Development, said through their grief parents and families of gang violence are not moving forward.
“I lost seven family members to murder. All my wife’s brothers’ sons were murdered. All of them. And I cannot even say that I know what you are going through because it’s not a son or daughter that I have lost.”
Using his own life experience, Nicholson offers motivational talks at various schools in the area.
“I remember receiving a call one night, when I was working a midnight job in Maitland and my daughter called to say both my nephews were shot and killed on the battlefield of Lavender Hill. My heart was broken.
“When I arrived at the scene their two bodies were lying a few metres apart. Later, I had to go counsel the child of the gunman who shot and killed my nephews.
“His daughter was sent to my house for counselling because she could not cope with life anymore and she was only 11-years-old because her father was then also killed.”
His message to victims of violence was to start the healing journey and to forgive.
“One of the boys who was killed was like a son to me. When the shots started going off, he came to live with me because he was afraid to stay in Hillview due to all the violence.
“He lived with me for two years and then wanted to return home to Hillview. He went home and a week later he was murdered. A 16-year-old boy shot him through the heart. I was so angry.
“The gangs are using our young teenage children to commit crimes so that they don’t go to prison. I was angry and then opened the Bible to a passage; ‘There is a time to live and a time to die and there is a time to heal.’
“I don’t expect anyone to say today that you would forgive your child’s murderer. I want you to go home and start a process of healing.”
Sgt Luqman Adams, a Steenberg Policeman who works with youth in the community, said it was vital to make the right choices in life.
“I want to say to your children, make the right choices. I come from a generation where our parents hit us to discipline us but I’m not saying that it was a bad thing. Look where I am today.
“I am a police officer. Parents work very hard so their children have food on the table.”
He added that there was a big problem in schools as often violence ends up in the classroom.
“There is a big problem in our schools. Because if there is a problem at home where do kids go? They go to their friends at school. They catch on nonsense at school.
“Yesterday there was a boy who robbed children at a high school. When we arrived at the school, we had to ask all the questions of why and what the person was doing. At the end of the day, we look at the circumstances of the person on why they are doing this.
“Make the right choices and when someone does something to you, open up your mouth and speak up.”
Adams added that often parents become angry with the police.
“The violence that is going on, the abuse of children and also when we as police are trying to explain to parents how situations works then they become angry because they do not understand.”
Wendy Jonas, a trauma counsellor at Steenberg police station, said she often sees residents affected by violence including gender-based violence.
“As a volunteer worker it’s not about the money, it’s about the passion and what you can give back to your community.
“I want everyone to know the kind of support we all offer.
“I work in the trauma unit where I work with victims of sexual assault, molesting, murder cases, suicide cases and sometimes also robbery cases, debriefing and follow-ups. There are a lot of cases.
“When women go through gender-based violence and domestic violence, we are also there to support them and to go through to safe houses and we support children who go through sexual assault and to get them into a safe space.”
Jonas said that drugs in the community remains a major problem.
“There are mothers who are having problems with their grandchildren or children that is on drugs and that is a major thing.
“We are there to support our community We are there to sit and listen to your problems and assist where we can.”
It’s not only young people affected by abuse and drugs but also the elderly, says Jonas.
“Two weeks ago, they called me because there was a lady of 65 who felt her home was not a safe space.
“And she was on the edge of committing suicide.
“She was so tired of her own child who was bossing her around, he is on drugs and he is selling everything in the house.
“The clothes she was wearing was what she was sleeping in and the clothes she was getting up with in the morning, she does not own a second set of clothing. Her son was treating her the same way he saw his father treat his mother.
“We have to break that cycle so that our children don’t need to go through the same cycle of abuse and violence.”
