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As the class of 2024 Matric sits for their last, year-end exam this Thursday (November 28), the World Changers Candidate (WCC) is warning learners to refrain from taking part in the planned deadly ‘Pens Down’ parties.
With support from the Central Drug Authority, the forewarning comes weeks after the organisation launched its annual ‘SAY NO to Pens Down’ campaign with a cautionary TikTok post early November (as seen below), which has since gone viral and is now nearing a million views.
Aimed at putting a break on this deeply concerning phenomenon as throngs of young people are gearing up for a wild long-weekend of booze and drugs fuelled Pens Down celebrations — taking place between November 29 to December 1 (Friday to Sunday) — this bold, much needed campaign marks two years since the tragic death of 22 youngsters at Enyobeni Tavern in the Eastern Cape.
Not only that, in December 2023 three pupils from Mnyanande Secondary School in Durban died in a car crash after another bloody year-end exam party. The same month in East London, five teens were hospitalised after over-drinking at a Pens Down party. The list is endless!
Lucas Mahlakgane, Chairperson of WCC, is concerned that despite previous efforts being made to warn learners about the danger of Pens Down celebrations, they’re still seeing and receiving reports of more matric rage parties being organised.
The main concern for the organisation is the issue of underage drinking, which has been found to be directly be linked to Pens Downs. “The fact that we are seeing no end to these booze-fuelled end-of-exam parties in spite of growing efforts being made to caution young people about their danger is to us an indication of the magnitude of the problem we’re faced with as a country,” Mahlakgane said, adding: “After the 2022 Nyobeni incident, and other similar incidents, one would have thought that everybody would have learnt from it, but that’s clearly not the case.”
As the organisation reiterates its stern campaign message, that “Pens Downs aren’t fun, they lead to death”, Mahlakgane is pleading with parents and caregivers to ensure that Pens Down parties don’t happen. “Parents have a significant influence on the decision their children make, and notably in preventing unsafe parties.
He added: “They must take a keen interest in their children lives during and afterschool hours, what they get up, especially in this time crucial time of their lives. The end of matric exams don’t have to always have to end tragically as it’s been the case.”
Over the years, the World Changers Candidate has been issuing warnings to parents about the danger of Pens Down parties, as well as the famed 4-20 dagga parties which have sadly claimed plenty of lives in the process – with many families left negatively impacted by the resulting accidents and other unpleasant events.
“The phenomenon has been growing year-on-year, affecting more young people since the legalisation of weed (dagga)” decried Mahlakgane as he calls for a ban on Pens Downs, along with stringent punishment for those supplying alcohol and drugs to children.
