A man's kindness has changed the attitude and prospects of a group of children who were causing trouble in the Garden Route town of Sedgefield.

Jurgens van der Walt, who moved to the town with his wife Karen five years ago, recently said he found the children, aged 8 to 14, roaming the streets instead of attending school.

They were apparently known by security guards and police officers for begging, stealing, smoking weed and vandalising municipal property.

"Some years ago, I approached the authorities about these children but the councillor for our area said there wasn’t much we could do. There is no money allocated to address this problem and no one to assist the kids," he said.

"I saw them throwing stones at lampposts, totally destroying the streetlights. When I approached them, they laughed and swore at me and made signs to show that they would cut my throat."

But the couple was adamant they would find a way to help the children.

The children often danced, sang and asked for money at a market in town on Saturday mornings.

Security guards, however, were concerned they would get up to mischief and would chase them away.

Change in attitudes

"The idea came to me that if we could teach these children how to perform and dress them as a group, it might change their attitude and the attitude of people towards them. They would then be able to perform at the market," said Van der Walt.

He managed to speak to the children and strike up a deal.

They would attend dancing and singing lessons twice a week, and stop harassing, begging and vandalising.

Thanks to donations from residents, the children received outfits to perform in, and the "Top Shots" made a fair amount of money at their first Saturday performance.

"We gave each member R50 pocket money and banked the rest of their money with a registered NPO, Hephzibah Solutions, that worked with some of these children on a government programme called 'Youth in Conflict with the Law'. They also arranged drug counselling sessions and support."

In addition, he arranged cooked meals for them three days a week.

Van der Walt told locals what they achieved and saw a change in their attitudes, as well as the children's.

He said his main focus was to get them back in school because most had been expelled.

Not welcome at local school

"In January, they asked us to help them to get back into school. I couldn't believe my ears. We took them to Pep and they bought their school uniforms with their own money that they had worked for."

Unfortunately, following meetings with the local school, it became clear the kids were not welcome there.

This was due to their history at the school.

But Van der Walt has not given up.

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"In Sedgefield, we have lots of young at heart, retired engineers, teachers and social workers to teach these children, and other children like them, basic skills and get them up to a level so that they can re-enter normal classes or pursue a trade," he said.

He had an offer from the CEO of a reputable distance education institution for sponsored learning material.

He also made contact with provincial education support services and met with psychologists who will assess the kids.

Van der Walt told News24 that he received the signed permission forms from their parents on Tuesday.

This would allow them to undergo the psychometric tests, which would hopefully happen in the next two weeks.