A cut above the rest
A MAN, whose brother was murdered, is cutting free of charge the hair of schoolboys who are at risk of becoming involved in gangsterism.
Seaton Jacobs, 28, from Sarepta, Kuils River, is cutting the young boys’ hair at schools in Kalkfontein and Sarepta.
Jacobs explained that his 19-yearold brother was killed a year ago.
“He was still young and he lost his life in that manner. I don’t want the young boys to become gangsters, I want them to complete school and make something of their lives.
“Because I am regularly cutting their hair and I talk to them, they have started to see me as a role model. I feel great when I see the smiles on their faces after I have cut their hair. I am teaching them discipline and that there is more to life than gangs,” he said.
He added that a lot of boys at schools in the area were being teased about their hair, but Jacobs explained that their parents could not afford to cut their hair. “It affected the young boys’ self-confidence and some of them would then stay out of school. Their teachers have told me that they have become better learners now. There is a lack of positive role models in their communities and I have become that person for them.
“I also a have a feeding scheme where we hand out food in poor communities and I take them with me to help. I want them to grow up also caring about other people.”
The principal of Irista Primary School, Francois Carl van Wyk, one of the schools where Jacobs cuts hair, said: “They have become so much better learners in the class. Especially because our children come from economically-deprived communities.
“In the communities of Kalkfontein and Sarepta parents do not have R50 to cut their children’s hair. They now look at Seaton as a role model and not to the drug dealer.”