In the early 2000s, Nngweni Secondary School in Biaba used to be known as one of the most disciplined and best-performing schools in the Nzhelele valley. This accolade, however, seems to be disintegrating quickly as reports of gangsterism, substance abuse, bullying and overall undisciplined behaviour seems to be the new trend at the Quantile 2 secondary school, which has more than 1600 learners.
In the most recent incident, which started on Monday (19 September), two Grade-11 learners reportedly got into an ugly fight. One of the boys sustained a nasty cut on his hand, while the other one was stabbed in the shoulder. The two learners, who are in the same class, allegedly arrived at school with a knife and an axe. They were taken to the nearest clinic for treatment and the matter was later referred to the police.
The very next morning, a Grade 12 learner was allegedly also stabbed upon entering the school gate to write his preliminary exams. He too was rushed to hospital.
The chairperson of the school-governing body (SGB), Mr Joseph Mariba, said the school was still recovering its composure after these shocking incidents. "It seems we have a serious problem with gangsterism here. The other learners are now too afraid to come to school. They only come when they are writing, and leave directly thereafter. We (SGB) have a meeting today (Wednesday, 21 September) with different stakeholders and we will take disciplinary actions." He said that they had tried to find out why the two boys were fighting, but no-one wanted to say anything.
The MEC for the Limpopo Department of Education, Ms Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, has condemned these unruly incidents at the school. "I want to make a plea to the parents, teachers and all other interested stakeholders to ensure that our schools remain a place of learning. I am disturbed by the reports of learners stabbing each other with dangerous weapons, which are not even permitted on our school premises. These incidents happened in the middle of the matric preliminary examinations, and it will surely have a negative impact on the learners at that particular school's writing," said Lerule-Ramakhanya.
She further stated that she would convene a seminar to address bullying, gangsterism and in-school violence next month to seek ways to address these challenges.
Police spokesperson in Vhembe Sgt Irene Radzilani has confirmed that two cases of assault GBH (the intent to cause grievous bodily harm) were opened at the Mphephu Police Station.