School violence outside a Durban school. A mini bus taxi was attacked outside the school gates.Picture supplied School violence outside a Durban school. A mini bus taxi was attacked outside the school gates.Picture supplied
Durban -A fight between two schoolboys from a Phoenix high school allegedly ended with one of them getting stabbed in the thigh with a pocket knife on Friday.
Vee Gani, chairperson of the South Durban branch of the KwaZulu-Natal Parents’ Association, said the rate of violence in schools was growing rapidly.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) was called to the scene by a teacher when the incident took place.
“As a Rusa patrol vehicle approached, three individuals fled from the school premises. Reaction officers apprehended a 13-year-old pupil while two of his accomplices managed to evade arrest,” a statement by Rusa read.
The 13-year-old boy was allegedly found in possession of the knife used to stab the victim, who was said to be 16.
According to Rusa, while being interviewed, the 13-year-old boy claimed he had been asked by a 17-year-old pupil from a different school to keep the knife with him after the stabbing. He said the 17-year-old had an issue with the victim.
“Pupils are going through their own things and they are taking it out violently on other people,” said Gani.
He added that the violence, no matter who it was directed at, was detracting from the learning and teaching meant to be taking place in school.
“School management now has to discipline children who bring knives to school, which takes away time from those who go to school to learn,” said Gani.
He suggested that the Department of Education start implementing harsher consequences for the culprits, especially in incidents like this.
On reading about the incident, people took to Facebook to express their opinions.
Janine van der Mescht posted: “Corporal punishment needs to be brought back to schools.”
Oshnee Singh said: “(This) shows no discipline from home. Parents of today would rather fight teachers than help discipline their children.
“Sad reality of life today. Our children are too Americanized due to watching Hollywood movies and they become brazen.”
The incident followed a dispute between pupils at Wyebank Secondary School and security guards deployed at the school.
The pupils had alleged the guards were assaulting them because they refused to be searched for weapons or “controlled” by these guards.
No comment had been received from the Department of Education by the time of publication.