Violence broke out at Swongozwi Secondary School in Madodonga last week when a learner allegedly attacked the principal with a knife.
According to sources at the school, the incident happened after the principal had reprimanded the learner for taking food meant for pupils to give to a friend who does not attend the school and for bullying other learners. The Grade 10 learner then allegedly chased the principal around the school premises on 24 October, threatening him with a knife.
Parents say the attack has exposed serious security shortcomings at many schools in the province. They claim Swongozwi Secondary is plagued by gangsterism, bullying and drug use, and is among the province's underperforming schools with consistently poor matric results.
One parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was shocked to hear of the incident.
"How is it possible that learners carry weapons to school without anyone knowing it? We blame the school for not protecting the learners and educators against such dangers. We believe that learners must be searched before entering the school premises to make sure that no weapons are carried inside. When we send our children to school, we entrust them to the safety of the school, but they fail us," she said.
School governing body (SGB) chairperson Edward Sadiki said the parents and the community were working together to address discipline problems. He expressed concern over the growing problem of gangsterism in schools and urged learners to report incidents that threaten a safe learning environment.
Sadiki said the SGB would launch a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of gangsterism, bullying, abuse and negative attitudes towards certain subjects. "It must be reiterated that violence and drugs cannot be tolerated at school at all," he said. He added that the case involving the learner who had attacked the principal was now in the police's hands and that the learner's parents would be summoned to the school.
MEC for Education Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya said schools were centres for learning, not violence. "We want justice to take its full course against learners who commit crime inside school premises," she said. "We call upon parents and guardians to join hands with the police and educators to ensure that schools remain safe environments at all times."
Police spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi confirmed that the incident had happened on school grounds. An 18-year-old suspect was arrested and appeared in the Tshilwavhusiku Magistrate's Court on 27 October. The case was postponed to 3 November for a bail application.