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Government stripped parents of authority

Residents and family members outside the tavern in Scenery Park where 21 people died in the early hours of Sunday morning in East London.
Residents and family members outside the tavern in Scenery Park where 21 people died in the early hours of Sunday morning in East London.
Image: Mark Andrews

The fatal incident in an East London drinking hole where 21 future leaders died has sparked debates and the blame game.

The role of parents is now questioned and they are labelled irresponsible. SA parents have been stripped of their authority by the government. The poor parents were not orientated on an alternative mechanism of disciplining their children apart from corporal punishment.

A parent cannot really babysit a teenager, while they have to fend for their basic needs. Parents have headaches at home with truant children and they just have to respect children's rights. When parents report their children at police stations for ill-discipline and going Awol, they are not taken seriously, but when children report parents for corporal punishment, the reaction is swift.

The neo-culture of celebrating every achievement and occasion with booze has gripped our communities. Children lie and devise plans to join the carousing like the adults do.

Kgothatso Mphuthi, Chiawelo, Soweto

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