Sports stars, please come and talk to youth

THIS is an open letter to our sporting bodies like Western Province Rugby, the Springbok rugby team, Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana, etc.

The Cape Flats has true angels in their communities who with limited resources try almost on bended knees and folded hands in a prayer posture to feed the poor of the Cape Flats. The reason for this open letter is that I was moved that the activists and community leaders have decided these upcoming Western Cape school holidays to organise events with the emphasis on police, firefighters, pastors, and imams to come and give lectures, advice and encouragement to the youth on the Cape Flats.

These are youngsters who face extreme challenges of gangsterism, drug and alcohol abuse, violence and ill-discipline in schools, falling out of the education system, child safety and unplanned pre-teen pregnancies, etc. This open letter is an appeal in the name of community and social responsibility to our sporting stars and sporting teams players, to avail themselves, to become vocal youth advisers or apostles of sound advice. Sadly these sporting bodies have badly neglected their star status here on the Cape Flats to avail their respective players to make time to talk at meetings to our youth.

I am hoping in this open letter to touch the hearts of these sporting stars to truly become idols of hope to youth going down the wrong roads that lead to despair, death and destruction. Take up this challenge sporting teams, and make yourself available. I will attach a few names of community leaders with their cell numbers and hope they will get a star-studded call to talk to the youth of the Cape Flats.

KEITH ALFRED ADOLPH BLAKE | Ottery