TITLE:
Community Coaching/Mentoring as a Strategic Asset in Addressing the Negative Impact of Gang Subcultures in a Gang-Affected Community in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa
AUTHORS:
Theodore Petrus
KEYWORDS:
Coaching/Mentoring, Gang Subcultures, Northern Areas, Gqeberha, South Af-rica
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.10,
October
19,
2023
ABSTRACT: Gang subcultures continue to be a significant threat
to safety and security in various communities throughout South Africa. Despite
largely punitive approaches and strategies to address gangs, very little
meaningful and viable results have been achieved. While it is important that
attention should be focused on gang formations and how they operate, very
little attention has been paid to the communities within which gangs emerge and
thrive. Little to no strategic community support is provided to affected
communities. This article argues for a consideration of community
coaching/mentoring as a strategic asset and support mechanism for addressing
the impact of gang subcultures. The discussion is based on the author’s
research on gang subcultures in a community in the Northern Areas of Gqeberha
(Port Elizabeth), in the province of the Eastern Cape, South Africa.