Classes at Kubusie Combined School near Stutterheim have been suspended following incidents of violence between two rival gangs of pupils and residents this week.
The chaos, which erupted last week and continued until yesterday, left two people shot and wounded and a pupil with stab wounds.
In the first incident, a man shot by police on Monday has been identified as Buzile Mhlungwini, 24, a resident from Bongolwethu village.
Mhlungwini had gone to attend a meeting aimed at addressing violence at the school when he was shot. Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Siphokazi Mawisa said he was shot after charging at police with a panga.
Independent Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesman Robbie Raburabu said they were investigating a case of attempted murder against a police captain who pulled the trigger.
Vuyo Mjebeza, also of Bongolwethu village, was shot in the right hip on Tuesday at his home by six suspects in what is believed to have been a revenge attack.
Department of health spokesman Siyanda Manana said Mjebeza had been treated for his wounds in hospital and released. He has subsequently gone into hiding and the Daily Dispatch was unable to trace him at the time of writing yesterday.
Kubusi Combined School, which caters for hundreds of pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 12, remains closed and is expected to reopen on April 5.
Grade 9 pupil Sibulele Kadeni, who spoke to the Daily Dispatch in front of his guardian Catherine Kadeni, said the fight was between pupils from Bongolwethu village and Kubusie village, the school’s location.
“In Bongolwethu we do not have a high school so all kids from this side study in Kubusie and as a result kids in Kubusie abuse kids from Bongolwethu.
“They make us queue for them in the school nutrition programme and when we refuse they take our lunch and money so we fight back,” he said.
The 15-year-old said violence erupted last Friday when a group of six pupils from Kubusie approached a 13-year-old Grade 8 pupil from Bongolwethu. They asked to speak to him outside the schoolyard and when he refused they allegedly withdrew knives and a screwdriver and stabbed him.
The Grade 8 pupil was stabbed in the right shoulder and although the Dispatch saw him, could not speak to him as his parents were not available to give consent.
Education spokesman Mali Mtima said they had called police to quell violence after it flared up at the school.
Manana confirmed they had admitted two people to Stutterheim hospital with gunshot wounds to the chest and leg separately on Monday and Tuesday.
“Mhlungwini was shot in the armpit and the bullet exited through the chest. He was transferred to Frere Hospital where he is in a stable condition,” Manana said.
Last year the principal, two teachers and a caretaker at the school were arrested by police when it was discovered they were stealing food meant for pupils. They have since being dismissed from the school. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Rival gangs’ battle shuts down classes at school
The chaos, which erupted last week and continued until yesterday, left two people shot and wounded and a pupil with stab wounds.
In the first incident, a man shot by police on Monday has been identified as Buzile Mhlungwini, 24, a resident from Bongolwethu village.
Mhlungwini had gone to attend a meeting aimed at addressing violence at the school when he was shot. Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Siphokazi Mawisa said he was shot after charging at police with a panga.
Independent Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesman Robbie Raburabu said they were investigating a case of attempted murder against a police captain who pulled the trigger.
Vuyo Mjebeza, also of Bongolwethu village, was shot in the right hip on Tuesday at his home by six suspects in what is believed to have been a revenge attack.
Department of health spokesman Siyanda Manana said Mjebeza had been treated for his wounds in hospital and released. He has subsequently gone into hiding and the Daily Dispatch was unable to trace him at the time of writing yesterday.
Kubusi Combined School, which caters for hundreds of pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 12, remains closed and is expected to reopen on April 5.
Grade 9 pupil Sibulele Kadeni, who spoke to the Daily Dispatch in front of his guardian Catherine Kadeni, said the fight was between pupils from Bongolwethu village and Kubusie village, the school’s location.
“In Bongolwethu we do not have a high school so all kids from this side study in Kubusie and as a result kids in Kubusie abuse kids from Bongolwethu.
“They make us queue for them in the school nutrition programme and when we refuse they take our lunch and money so we fight back,” he said.
The 15-year-old said violence erupted last Friday when a group of six pupils from Kubusie approached a 13-year-old Grade 8 pupil from Bongolwethu. They asked to speak to him outside the schoolyard and when he refused they allegedly withdrew knives and a screwdriver and stabbed him.
The Grade 8 pupil was stabbed in the right shoulder and although the Dispatch saw him, could not speak to him as his parents were not available to give consent.
Education spokesman Mali Mtima said they had called police to quell violence after it flared up at the school.
Manana confirmed they had admitted two people to Stutterheim hospital with gunshot wounds to the chest and leg separately on Monday and Tuesday.
“Mhlungwini was shot in the armpit and the bullet exited through the chest. He was transferred to Frere Hospital where he is in a stable condition,” Manana said.
Last year the principal, two teachers and a caretaker at the school were arrested by police when it was discovered they were stealing food meant for pupils. They have since being dismissed from the school. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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