Tears from Roodepan

Dear residents of Roodepan I wish to address you all, old and young, every man, woman and child who make up the community of Roodepan. I will be straight forward and blunt, no sugar coating, just the truth. There is one concern that I want to point out and that is the degrading and dreadful state that Roodepan is in today and has been since almost forever. I want to speak about the crime, the poverty, the lack of recreational centers and social unity and the poor infrastructure. The lack of opportunity causes unemployment which in turn causes poverty that leads to crime, and abuse of alcohol and drugs but the biggest problem is that no one seems to care. Roodepan today is ravaged by crime, criminals, gangs, vandals all run rampant and rape, muggings and murder is becoming the norm of the day. There are a lot of people living below the bread line, most surviving on the grant they receive; they have to get by with almost nothing. Most people turn to drugs and alcohol to try and sooth the pain caused by their problems but this is not a solution. There are no job opportunities and the unemployed youth litter the street corners, day in and day out not having anything to do to empower themselves educationally or physically. With no activities to keep busy the youth turn to, drugs, alcohol and gangs, the rate of teenage pregnancies is rising. There’s also the infrastructure of Roodepan, nothing is maintained, not the pothole invested roads, not the dirty parks, not the multi-purpose centre and not the flats that are crumbling to the ground. It is saddening to see children playing in the dirty green water that flow from the broken pipes, to see  people risking their lives living in dangerous conditions. This is Roodepan today and I blame you! I blame you the parent, the elder, the role model because you are supposed to be a custodian of your community , you are supposed to teach your children the most basic values of appreciating what they have, of respect, of standing up what they believe in. Instead you keep quiet and watch how your own community is falling apart around you. Remember your child is watching you and mimicking your actions, they too blame government, they too are waiting for government and just like you they too are doing absolutely nothing to improve their situation. Your cries have fell on deaf ears, I say it’s time to wipe your tears and do something. I am not pushing any political agenda against any political entity but it is a fact that political organizations which ever ones it may be have failed the people of Roodepan. You only hear of caring councilors or politicians when elections are near but after the elections they disappear. This is a call for action, a call to every single resident of Roodepan to wake up, to open your eyes, to listen and start taking action by making an effort. Don’t let your situation change you, change your situation. Most people say that Roodepan is a lost cause that it is a broken community but I believe that there is potential, there is still hope and to change the situation all it takes is people who are willing enough to say I WILL.  
Eric.R Kok
09.06.2013