Cape Town - A teacher at a Cape Flats school caught in gang crossfire has resigned, while a mother has accused parents of taking bribes from suspects.
Now concerned Hanover Park parents have made a desperate plea for help to keep children at Blomvlei Primary School safe.
A meeting was called on Wednesday night following a protest at the school on Monday which resulted in parents shutting down the school and taking their children home.
The fed-up parents protested outside the school gates saying they have had enough of the school being caught in the crossfire during daily gun battles.
The school has been at the centre of sporadic shootings between rival gangs in an alleged ongoing fight over drug turf.
A stray bullet also damaged a vehicle in the school’s parking area.
Officials from the Western Cape Education Department, police, Law Enforcement, Metro Police and Traffic Services attended the meeting where parents explained their frustrations.
Principal Dawn Petersen announced that a teacher had resigned indicating that the situation at the school had become unbearable.
She says while the teachers are committed to provide a quality education, the school is continuously caught in gang crossfire and teachers are spending most of their time ensuring learners are safe.
A mom who spoke at the meeting said Hanover Park kids are already not safe at home and now their school life was being affected.
“They don’t even have the opportunity to play freely during intervals because on a daily basis the intercom goes off: ‘Teachers, they are shooting, please get the children inside’."
“It is honestly not normal that our children have to duck and dive,” the mom said.
Her sentiments were echoed by other parents. They say cops don’t respond to calls for help.
Head of visible policing at Philippi Police Station Lieutenant-Colonel Dawood Laing called on parents to call the station directly and should there be no response, to report the matter to him.
“You can’t just say you called police. Take down the time and the name of the person and get a reference number,” he said.
WCED district manager, Alan Meyer, says the situation is not unique to Hanover Park and says in Lavender Hill four schools were closed due to gang violence.
“We flooded the area with SAPS and Metro Police and it all quietened down. But nobody has assurance that it won’t flare up again.
“So we can come and put in a bulletproof fence and motorise the gate and put Bambanani on the premises, but that won’t stop the activity outside.”
Meyer said one of the suggestions is to employ neighbourhood watch members to secure the school.
These members, he says, are linked with a radio to all law enforcement agencies and can send alerts for assistance during shootings.
However, one mother said it would not help as many parents are being paid by gangsters.
“I have two children at the school; die probleem is die mense weet waar die gangsters is, maar hulle word betaal deur die gangs." ("...the problem is that people know where the gangsters are, but they are being paid by the gangs").
“We must stand together and fight for peace. We must go to every gang house. I say on Saturday we go and march and get all these gangsters.”
Meyer says in the meantime two resource officers will be deployed at the school to stabilise the situation.