Kimberley - Community members will stage a march and prevent anyone from entering the gates of a high school in Jan Kempdorp on Monday.
This follows the Friday appearance in court of four pupils implicated in the rape and common assault of an 18-year-old at the school hostel. All four the accused were released on bail of R1 000 each.
The pupils, two aged 18, one 15 and the other 14 years old, have since been suspended, pending the outcome of an internal investigation by Hoer Landbouskool Noordkaap.
Members of the public as well as the media were ordered to leave the courtroom when the accused made a brief appearance in the Jan Kempdorp Magistrate’s Court.
The accused’s legal representative, advocate Sakkie Nel, motivated that the two minors be released into the care of their guardians.
Magistrate Hennie Strauss postponed the case until March 5 for further investigation.
Members of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in the Phokwane region called for the four accused to be expelled and for the removal of the principal.
ANCYL member, Moeketsi James Ntema, said over 4 000 pupils, parents and community members would march to the school on Monday from the Valspan Community Hall starting at 7am.
Jan Kempdorp resident, Carl Surrey, believed that initially there were attempts to keep the matter hidden from the public.
“I heard about it for the first time in the media. It is as if this shameful act is being kept a secret. Why were the learners only arrested five days after the alleged incident took place? All learners are entitled to quality education.”
The DA said it would submit written questions to the Northern Cape MEC for Education, Grizelda Cjiekella-Lecholo, to establish what steps would be taken to address a culture of violent behaviour at Northern Cape school hostels.
DA provincial spokeswoman on education Safiyia Stanfley questioned why no one was supervising the pupils at the time of the incident.
Justine Moncho from the Cosatu gender unit called upon the justice and education system to fast-track the investigation and prosecution of the case.
“Parents send their children to learn and not be bullied and molested.”
AfriForum Youth national chairman Henk Maree condemned the alleged incident at the school as well as the bystanders who apparently did nothing to stop the attack.
CEO of the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa Louwrens Strydom said he was concerned that schools were becoming war zones.
He pointed out that the tradition of initiation in schools and hostels had been banned for many years.
“It remains the responsibility of the school management to ensure that these practices do not take place.
“A great concern is the alleged inhumane actions of the perpetrators.”
He said pupils from schools in the surrounding districts would also show their support to the complainant.
Ntema indicated that schooling in Jan Kempdorp, Pampierstad and Hartswater would come to a standstill if their demands were not met.
He also recommended that the hostel be integrated so that black and white pupils could learn to live in harmony.
Spokesman for the Department of Education Sydney Stander said any disciplinary steps would depend on the outcome of the internal investigation.
“The learners have been suspended until the school has finalised its investigations.”
He pointed out that there were no plans to close the school, remove the principal or disband the SGB.
“The incident that happened at the school has nothing to do with the competencies of the above-mentioned authorities.
“We must allow the SGB of the school to deal with the matter in line with their policies. It will be fruitless and unwise to pre-empt what the due process will yield. The problems that previously engulfed the school are well documented and the interventions that we have employed.
“It is important to remember that as a result of our intervention then, the school has been stable for the last two to three years.”
Stander indicated that the incident that took place was not an initiation practice. “What happened at the school hostel last weekend was criminal and racist.”
He added that no law in education provides for initiation at schools.
“All activities in our schools should take place in the context of the curriculum and should be presided over by teachers.”
Stander was not aware of any requests made for the MEC to accept the memorandum, or that a march would take place at the school on Monday.
“The Northern Cape Department of Education is still busy with the investigation. The MEC will engage with our stakeholders, including the Education Alliance, to map out our long term plans with the school and its future, taking into account the contribution that the school makes towards food security in the province.”
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