After hearing about the two missing girls who were found dead last month, Grade 11 Grassdale High School pupil Craig Greenfield decided to host a holiday programme at a park in Heron Way to keep the children of Die Skeem, in Parkwood, safe and busy.
The community has been left traumatised by the killings of 13-year-old Rene-Tracey Roman of St Montague Village (“Hearts bleed for Rene, Southern Mail, March 29), who was found dead in a neighbour’s wendy house on Human Rights Day, and 11-year-old Stacha Arendse of Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain, whose body was found on a soccer field near Swartklip Centre on March 30.
Last week Southern Mail also reported that a body was found in Olympus Avenue, Lotus River, and was believed to be that of mother Abenise Bowes who was reported missing(“Another woman dies”, Southern Mail, April 5).
Craig received immediate support from his neighbours and the ward councillor Patricia van der Ross, when he pitched his
idea about the holiday programme.
The neighbours provided lunch for the children every day and they asked community leaders to have talks about safety and sports activities.
Craig said they still need a gazebo and sport equipment for the programme. “We have already asked the children to help clean the park,” he said.
Ms Van der Ross said the City of Cape Town has already set up a holiday programme for the June and September school holi-
days.
She said Craig asked her what he could do to keep the youth busy as he was concerned about children going missing in the
area.
“I will be organising a taxi to collect children to come and play games at the park,” she said.
Craig said he has been a volunteer in the community since he was much younger. “I would encourage the children to play soccer with me but I never knew that I would be doing this as an adult.”
He said it is important to create better role models for children to prevent them from making the wrong choices.
If you want to contribute equipment to the holiday programme, call Craig on 071 834 4328.
