READER LETTER | Pens down parties destroy youth

The so-called “pens down” parties that occur every year end after matriculants have completed writing their final examinations are not only rubbish but pure nonsense and madness.

These ridiculous parties must be strongly condemned by all means possible. Pupils hold these unscrupulous parties at public recreational parks, where alcohol flows like the Nile River.

After being highly intoxicated with all sorts of alcoholic beverages and drugs, these unruly kids engage in mischievous behaviour. They don’t care about the consequences. Unplanned pregnancies will be the end result.

School uniforms are written on with all unprintable vulgar language. Books, pencils and pens are burnt to ashes instead of passing them on to those who cannot afford them.

What happened tothe “izandla ziyagezana” principle? The youth is faced with future expectations, uncertainty and important decision-making challenges. This is a crucial phase of their lifetime as it makes or breaks them.

This is a generation of youths being raised by parents who seem confused and not so sure how to control them as they have just too many rights. The mistake most parents make is to think that good parenting means buying their children staple food, shelter, educationand other basics. There is more to parenting than these necessities.

My million-dollar question is: who sponsors these parties? Who sells alcohol to these teenagers? Do we want a repeat of the Enyobeni tavern tragedy, where 21 teenagers died? Such tragedies could be avoided only if parents play their part and discourage kids from attending these types of parties.

Parents need to be good role models by putting their foot down. It is important to set good examples so that children will look up to parents for direction, inspiration and motivation.

McDivett Khumbulani Tshehla