Some schools in the country have been turned into war zones with pupils running amok, attacking teachers and their schoolmates in recent years.
And the Eastern Cape has not been immune to the scourge of violence that has gripped schools and received widespread condemnation.
In the latest incidents in the province, two boys were stabbed and killed by their schoolmates within a week.
On Thursday, Nathaniel Pamla High School grade 11 pupil Anathi Baku, 20, was stabbed in the inner thigh by a 16-year-old classmate after he had tried to come to the rescue of a friend following a fracas over a missing cellphone.
Thursday’s stabbing at the Peddie school comes after a 13-year-old stabbed to death his schoolmate, also 13, with a pair of scissors at Tsomo Secondary School last Friday.
In an interview from his Peddie Extension home on Friday, Anathi’s grieving father, Foto Baku, 67, said he had forced his son to go to school as he had wanted to bunk on Thursday as he had done on Wednesday.
“I woke up my son to go to school to be killed. I am not sure if I will be able to forgive myself.
“He missed the school the day before and I thought I was doing a good thing by making him attend classes,” he said.
Baku blamed teachers for his son’s death, saying had they not waited more than 30 minutes to transport him to hospital, he might still be alive.
“I spoke to pupils at the school who told me that the teachers said they were not willing to carry a bleeding person in their cars because blood was going to stain their car seats.
“I wish I was there. I was not going to care about staining myself with blood. I was going to carry my son on my back and walk with him to hospital,” he said with a quivering voice, adding that no one from the school had officially told him what had happened.
“I am very hurt about the way the school has handled this incident and the way they are treating me.”
Eastern Cape department of education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the matter would be investigated.
The Tsomo stabbing was confirmed by police spokesperson Captain Namhla Mdleleni who said the identities of the two boys involved could not be revealed as they are minors.
Mdleleni said the two boys were playing with scissors when one of them was fatally stabbed in his upper body and died on his way to hospital.
“Even though a case of murder has been opened at the Tsomo police station, the case of this 13-year-old has been referred to social workers because he is a minor and cannot be prosecuted at this age,” Mdleleni said.
Violence at schools in the country has been on the rise in recent days with mathematics teacher Gadimang Costa Mokolobate‚ 24‚ stabbed to death inside a classroom by a pupil‚ aged 17‚ near Zeerust in the North West, while a Gauteng pupil allegedly pulled out a gun at the Eldorado Park Secondary School and threatened to shoot a teacher on Wednesday.
This led to South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) North West provincial chair Paul Sebegoe calling on Friday for teachers to be empowered through self-defence lessons and be permitted to carry pepper sprays in schools, so as to defend themselves and other pupils when their lives are in danger.
However, teachers’ unions vehemently opposed the call, saying it would not solve the problem but make matters worse.
National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) president Nkosiphedule “Star” Ntantala said the call, if given the thumbs up, would be disastrous.
“We cannot support that approach because it is an approach that seeks to turn our schools into war zones. It is a no-no from Naptosa because instead of solving the problem, it would escalate it.
“There has been enough violence at our schools as it is, so we cannot give permission to further perpetuate violence at our schools,” he said.
Ntantala said while there was already an “agreement” with the police to do random searches at schools, this was not being effectively done.
“We don’t believe the SAPS has come to the party in terms of intensifying these random searches. We need more police visibility.
“We also need for school governing bodies and Cosas [Congress of South African Students] to come on board and assist in mitigating issues of safety at our schools.”
Sadtu national spokesperson Nomusa Cembi agreed with Ntantala.
“What we need are metal detector machines like we have in parliament, so pupils will not be able to get into schools with weapons or drugs. We need to make sure that our schools are zones that don’t have any weapons.
“We cannot guarantee that people given the pepper sprays will use them effectively. We don’t need any weapons at schools, whether they are for protection or not,” she said, adding that visible police presence would also curb the escalating violence at schools.
Cembi also called on parents to play an active role in “disciplining” their children.
Sebegoe again emphasised that “the school safety programme must empower educators with self-defence lessons and allow them to use non-lethal force such as pepper sprays when their lives and those of pupils are in danger”.
But Cosas deputy president Olothando Sonjalo said if teachers were to use pepper sprays, they would encourage “pupils to carry sjambok” to schools.
“Pupils are not criminals. If that were to be implemented, we would tell pupils to bring sjamboks to schools.
“We would moer [violently attack] any teacher that would use a pepper spray on a pupil and close down schools,” she vowed.
In a statement, parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education chair Nomalungelo Gina said her committee was concerned about the weapons found in schools.
“I cannot emphasise enough that schools are places of safety. It is important for everyone to work together to ensure a safe place for pupils to be educated in and for teachers to do their job.
“I want to appeal to parents and the community at large to help bring back the pride and safety to our schools. Violence does not belong in schools,” she said.
The 16-year-old appeared at the Peddie Magistrate’s Court on Friday but the case was postponed to September 27 for him to get legal representation.
He was remanded in custody at the department of social development juvenile centre, John X Merriman Child and Youth Care Centre in Cambridge, East London.
Equal Education general manager Noncedo Madubedube said they had conducted research around the topic pertaining the safety of pupils and teachers in Western Cape schools.
“The social audit revealed that an estimated one in six pupils and administrators feel unsafe at school in the Western Cape. This feeling is justified, as according to both administrators and pupils, violent events are common at many schools,” she said. – with additional reporting by Mbali Tanana and TimesLive..