NATCOM WARNS OF DEADLY 27S GANG IN SCHOOLS

MANZINI – A new gang, which calls itself Ama27, has emerged.

It is causing havoc in communities and has infiltrated a number of schools across the country, and some pupils have joined it. This new gang causes mayhem in schools. This information was revealed by the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, Vusi Manoma Masango. The NATCOM raised concern about the emergent gang; which he said is deadlier than the 26s and 28s. Masango said they got to know about the new gang recently.

Speaking during a house presentation to a Msibi homestead at Sandlane, the NATCOM said, as the police service, they are very concerned about gangsterism, which destroys pupils in schools. He said it calls for everyone to play a role in the fight against gangs in schools.

Discussions

“Sekunemagenge letikolweni. We plead with Sandlane residents to be very close to their children and monitor any suspicious changes. Let every parent take it upon themselves to have discussions with the child upon arrival from school. Ask your child about the things they learnt from school every day. Further ask the child about the challenges they encounted on their way home. “You will find your child with a tattoo you are not aware of just because you don’t interact with your child. Some parents do not know what the tattoos mean,” he said.
According to Masango, members of the new gang are very brutal and extremely dangerous.

Wondered

He wondered whether parents are doing enough in the fight against crimes that affect pupils. “What are we going to say to our Creator after we have passed on? Are we going to say we have served our country well when we pass on? The upcoming generation will not find it hard to kill and eat someone since we are failing as parents to raise our children the right way. Gangsterism is a serious problem we are faced with. We need to come closer to our children.

On the same note, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said the new gang is prevalent in urban schools. Vilakati, however, said they have recently received information about some rural schools having pupils who are part of the new gang. “The issue of gangsterism started many years ago. As the years went by, we started learning about 26s and 28s gangs. Now we are seeing this emerging group called 27s, which now does the opposite of what the others do. Sesisangene,” said Vilakati.
Following an increase in the number of pupils joining the new gang, Vilakati said they took a decision to warn parents and the public about the mushrooming gangs in schools.
According to Vilakati, children are the most targeted and there are many of them in schools. She also indicated that boys are the ones recruited the most.

Signage

“There is use of signage, tattoos and hand gestures that are unique to relay a message to their members. Through the use of these signs, the others know the message being communicated.” Vilakati further stated that this group is capable of committing murder and assault with grievous bodily harm (GBH). She said they have reported incidents where some members of this group committed murder. “We are so concerned about this problem. We encourage whoever is behind this thing to stop it. As police officers, we have taken a stand to fight against new forms of crime. Members of this gang fight a lot,” she said. She also encouraged parents to monitor to their children all the time in order to notice any unusual changes. She said they must act promptly, should they see unusual markings on their children. “Parents must not be hard on their children when asking certain questions regarding changes in their lives. They will not open up if a parent becomes hard on them. Always be nice to your child.”

Encouraged

She further encouraged parents to report any unusual changes they see in their children to the police so that quick action may be taken. Meanwhile, the Times of Eswatini published an article on gangsterism evolving into a more coordinated and secretive form of criminal activity. The then Acting NATCOM, Lydia Dlamini, during a workshop, revealed that gangs were operating in tight-knit cells that were difficult to penetrate and whose members were sworn to secrecy. Dlamini said these cells were made for children who had become ‘monsters,’ causing fear and unrest in their communities.

She alluded to the fact that the role of all agencies in the fight against crime, community policing in particular, had become more complex and diversified, with criminal elements operating with impunity and in a syndicated manner with networks and connections established in a range of sectors. “Gangsterism has now evolved into coordinated criminal activity, whereby gang members operate in certain cells that are hard to penetrate and whose members are sworn into secrecy against divulging the identities of fellow members and/or their handlers/masterminds,” Dlamini said.

She went on to say that there were children with whom they lived and who grew up right in front of their eyes, yet they had now become monsters who had created an environment of unease and fear within communities. “In close collaboration with other agencies in the fight against crime, we must strive to prevent the formation of such groupings through the establishment of anti-crime clubs in schools and out-of-school youth anti-crime clubs working with imiphakatsi and local community committees as well as neighbourhood watch schemes,” said Dlamini. She reiterated that all their operations should be conducted within the ambits of the Rule of Law in ensuring the safety, security and prosperity of the nation, as well as observing global basic human rights standards and practices.

Violence

Also, this publication wrote another article on concerns and fears of violence in Eswatini that might go from bad to worse, as gangsterism was taking over in communities, including schools. This was raised during a grangerisation sensitisation programme that was hosted by the Ministry of Education and Training, in particular the Hhohho regional administration office (REO) at Dvokolwako High School for the parents. By definition, gangsterism is the culture of belonging to organised gangs of criminals, especially involving violence. Knowledge Ngwenya, the Inspector of Schools in the Hhohho Region under the Guidance and Counselling Department, labelled gangsterism as a pandemic that has the potential of seeing the court experiencing another wave of unrest.

Inspecting

According to Ngwenya, as they were inspecting schools, they discovered that there were acts of gangsterism and they roped in other government departments that deal with children, like the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) Office, Ministry of Health, Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), and His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS), together with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) and Kwakha Indvodza, among others. He said they had formed a committee of 30 people from these departments and organisations, which would visit 20 schools (10 primary schools and 10 high schools) in the Hhohho Region to sensitise staff members, parents, and pupils about the causes and dangers of gangsterism together with how it could be prevented.

Gangsterism

Ngwenya highlighted that their research suggests that gangsterism started in Correctional facilities and had been spreading into society, and now in schools.  He said their concern as a ministry is the safety of pupils, teachers, and parents, as gang members do not only deal with drugs, but they also use them. He highlighted that during the 2021 civil unrest, schools became hot spots for protest actions, which culminated in vandalism of government property and chaos, which meant that they played a role in the violent actions that the country experienced.

As the committee was sensitising the parents of Dvokolwako High School, Inspector Fanyana Dlamini, a police officer from the Hhohho Region, said the gang groups’ main aim is to commit violent criminal offences. In fact, he said the gangs compete with each other in terms of committing the violent criminal offences.

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