https://youtu.be/fqPIypuB4SoTwo prominent Port Elizabeth schools have been rocked by cellphone footage of vicious playground brawls, prompting an investigation by the Eastern Cape Department of Education.
The fights at Pearson and Framesby high schools have once again put the spotlight on school violence, including bullying.
The names of the girls – believed to be a matric pupil and a Grade 8 pupil, although this could not be verified – are known to The Herald.
The second video captured a one-minute melee that exploded on Wednesday at Framesby High, with dozens of pupils involved in the fracas.
It is not clear what started the two fights, but the principals of both schools have promised harsh action.
Pearson High principal Andre van Staden said: “Our school has strong disciplinary structures and standards in place.
“The individuals involved will be dealt with accordingly and will have to bear the consequences.”
In the Pearson footage, the two pupils are seen scuffling on the ground, pulling each other’s hair.
One of the girls slaps and punches the other one about six times while she is on the ground.
A few pupils try to separate them, but others cheer them on. At the end of the video, one of the girls is seen being kicked by a third person.
A Pearson High parent, who asked not to be named, said fights were not common at the school.
“But there are always a few rotten apples between the good students,” he said. Framesby High principal Jan Stroebel said he was unaware of the brawl but would find out who the pupils involved were.
“It’s always such bad publicity for a school when we spend so many hours and are dedicated to their good and healthy education,” he said.
“Then everything is broken down in just one incident.”
In the video, a Framesby pupil is seen walking up to another pupil on the school rugby field.
A fight breaks out, with both pupils throwing about 10 punches within 14 seconds. Other pupils quickly gather around, and one is swung around by his jersey.
He eventually tries to run away but a number of pupils pounce on him and a big brawl ensues.
Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima condemned the incidents.
“We are ashamed to respond to issues of this nature because these fights are indications that in these schools bullying is alive and well,” he said.
Mtima said a team from the provincial office in Zwelitsha would be sent to assist the district office in Port Elizabeth.
“We are going to call social workers, we are going to call psychologists, we are going to call our school safety officers so that we can have a concerted effort on this,” he said.
The pupils involved, including those who watched the two fights, would undergo counselling, so that they would know that bullying and fighting at schools was wrong and against the law, Mtima said.
The department would also implement a three-month programme that would focus on counselling, self-respect and social integration at both schools.
“This may just be the tip of an iceberg … that is why we need to pick it up from the roots so that it does not sink the ship,” he said.
Mtima said while the video of the Pearson fight appeared to be a “one-man show”, the Framesby brawl might have more sinister undertones.
“Gangsters have group leaders who just kick everyone as and when it pleases him. So to me, looks like that.”
He questioned why teachers were nowhere to be seen on the video, saying that pupils needed to be monitored at all times.
“The principals must account as to why the kids were left unattended,” Mtima said.
Independent education specialist Susan van Rensburg said fights at school were not new but they were increasing in intensity and frequency.
Port Elizabeth clinical psychologist Dr Estelle de Wit said pupils involved in school violence often displayed symptoms of acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. “Witnesses are also often traumatised but remain silent for fear of becoming victims in the future,” she said.
De Wit said displays of aggression between children were common, even in kindergarten, as a way of establishing dominance.
However, social media had given children a new way to enact and share violence.
“If not addressed correctly, this can result in serious psychopathology,” she said.
“If these natural aggressive drives were promoted with positive reinforcement, like peers who encouraged violence, the end result would be a society where aggression became the norm.
“It is the role of parents and teachers to ensure this does not happen.”
WATCH: Schools rocked by fight videos
The fights at Pearson and Framesby high schools have once again put the spotlight on school violence, including bullying.
The names of the girls – believed to be a matric pupil and a Grade 8 pupil, although this could not be verified – are known to The Herald.
The second video captured a one-minute melee that exploded on Wednesday at Framesby High, with dozens of pupils involved in the fracas.
It is not clear what started the two fights, but the principals of both schools have promised harsh action.
Pearson High principal Andre van Staden said: “Our school has strong disciplinary structures and standards in place.
“The individuals involved will be dealt with accordingly and will have to bear the consequences.”
In the Pearson footage, the two pupils are seen scuffling on the ground, pulling each other’s hair.
One of the girls slaps and punches the other one about six times while she is on the ground.
A few pupils try to separate them, but others cheer them on. At the end of the video, one of the girls is seen being kicked by a third person.
A Pearson High parent, who asked not to be named, said fights were not common at the school.
“But there are always a few rotten apples between the good students,” he said. Framesby High principal Jan Stroebel said he was unaware of the brawl but would find out who the pupils involved were.
“It’s always such bad publicity for a school when we spend so many hours and are dedicated to their good and healthy education,” he said.
“Then everything is broken down in just one incident.”
In the video, a Framesby pupil is seen walking up to another pupil on the school rugby field.
A fight breaks out, with both pupils throwing about 10 punches within 14 seconds. Other pupils quickly gather around, and one is swung around by his jersey.
He eventually tries to run away but a number of pupils pounce on him and a big brawl ensues.
Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima condemned the incidents.
“We are ashamed to respond to issues of this nature because these fights are indications that in these schools bullying is alive and well,” he said.
Mtima said a team from the provincial office in Zwelitsha would be sent to assist the district office in Port Elizabeth.
“We are going to call social workers, we are going to call psychologists, we are going to call our school safety officers so that we can have a concerted effort on this,” he said.
The pupils involved, including those who watched the two fights, would undergo counselling, so that they would know that bullying and fighting at schools was wrong and against the law, Mtima said.
The department would also implement a three-month programme that would focus on counselling, self-respect and social integration at both schools.
“This may just be the tip of an iceberg … that is why we need to pick it up from the roots so that it does not sink the ship,” he said.
Mtima said while the video of the Pearson fight appeared to be a “one-man show”, the Framesby brawl might have more sinister undertones.
“Gangsters have group leaders who just kick everyone as and when it pleases him. So to me, looks like that.”
He questioned why teachers were nowhere to be seen on the video, saying that pupils needed to be monitored at all times.
“The principals must account as to why the kids were left unattended,” Mtima said.
Independent education specialist Susan van Rensburg said fights at school were not new but they were increasing in intensity and frequency.
Port Elizabeth clinical psychologist Dr Estelle de Wit said pupils involved in school violence often displayed symptoms of acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. “Witnesses are also often traumatised but remain silent for fear of becoming victims in the future,” she said.
De Wit said displays of aggression between children were common, even in kindergarten, as a way of establishing dominance.
However, social media had given children a new way to enact and share violence.
“If not addressed correctly, this can result in serious psychopathology,” she said.
“If these natural aggressive drives were promoted with positive reinforcement, like peers who encouraged violence, the end result would be a society where aggression became the norm.
“It is the role of parents and teachers to ensure this does not happen.”
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