Bulletproof parks for children a terrifying alternative

A week ago, while catching up on news in SA from South America, where I am on vacation, I read something that shocked me to the core.

The article, published by EWN, screamed: “Gun Free SA to build world’s first bulletproof park in Mitchells Plain”.

I went on to read various articles on the same story.

But after listening to Gun Free SA director, Adéle Kirsten, in an interview about this proposed park, the seriousness of the matter dawned on me.

In SA, a country that was once deemed a beacon of democracy on the African continent, and indeed the entire Global South, a bulletproof park will be built so that children can play safely.

Thirty years after the end of apartheid, in a country that once promised hope for the developing world, it is being proposed that children play within the confines of level-eight bulletproof glass, equipped with panic buttons and controlled access points.

This is an indictment not only on the failures of our political leadership but also on our collective failure as a society.

As a geographer by profession and a social justice activist, I am deeply troubled by the idea of a bulletproof park because I don’t believe children should grow up under such conditions.

This kind of confinement is akin to raising children in a prison. The cognitive and psychological consequences would undoubtedly be profound.

And yet, children growing up in Mitchells Plain have very little options.

Their choices are clear: play in a bulletproof park or perish on the streets.

The latter option doesn’t even require that they be on the streets playing, for merely walking home from school or a tuck shop has proven to be fatal for many children in Mitchells Plain and other areas across the Western Cape, and SA.

According to crime statistics published by the SA Police Service (SAPS) between 2022 and 2023, more than 11,300 people died due to gun violence in SA.

Roughly 8% of these fatalities, about 802, were gang-related.

Of these 802 gang-related deaths, 675 occurred in the Western Cape.

This means the province accounts for more than 80% of gang-related murders in the entire country.

Of the 675 gang-related deaths, more than 50 were innocent victims who had no gang affiliations or were mistakenly identified.

The majority of these were young people, with some as young as 12.

Many of these young people died in gang crossfire.

It is evident the situation in the Western Cape is out of control, placing the lives of children in immeasurable danger.

The inability of children to live normal lives in Mitchells Plain, the epicentre of the gang violence, is an assault not only on their lives but on the constitutional democracy that defines our existence as a nation.

The Bill of Rights, the cornerstone of our democracy, asserts the right of children to be protected from degradation.

The same Bill of Rights asserts the right of all people to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing.

These rights do not exist in Mitchells Plain or in any area where gang-violence makes it impossible for children to thrive.

Protecting these children is the responsibility of our government and society as a whole.

Effectively using the Prevention of Organised Crime Act is only one way to intervene.

Other interventions include capacitating the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit, which is currently under-resourced.

Resources must also be channelled towards community-based organisations and initiatives aimed at the development and empowerment of affected communities.

This demands partnerships between government, the private sector and civil society.

It’s a multilayered challenge that needs a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach and intervention.

It may be a difficult undertaking, but the alternative is the normalisation of bulletproof parks and no-go areas for communities. It’s a terrifying alternative.