Sick and tired of being terrorised by a group of teenage robbers, pupils at a high school in Umlazi took the law into their own hands when they turned on their alleged attackers and stoned two of them to death while seriously injuring another.
On Friday at 10am four teenagers held the Zwelihle High School Grade 8 and 9 classes at gunpoint.
One of the pupils, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation, said the robbers demanded cash and cellphones from the pupils.
“We know these guys. They bully the schoolchildren all the time and steal their money and other valuables. They are known to attack pupils inside the school too.”
The pupil said that while the one suspect pointed the gun at them, the others ransacked their bags and stole their wallets and cellphones.
The security guard who was on duty at the gate did not see the gang enter the yard. They had apparently gained entrance to the school property through a hole in the fence at the back of the school.
The pupil said that as the robbers brazenly made their way out of the school gate, the pupils decided to fight back.
“They confronted the robbers and asked them if their gun was working. They started running. This did not stop us. Everyone gave chase. We were all sick and tired of their bad habits.”
She said as the gang ran towards the Zamani informal settlement, pupils hurled stones at them and continued to chase them.
“Some of the pupils eventually caught them at the settlement. They started hitting them and pelting them with stones. More than 500 children were there.”
The pupil said they managed to recover the stolen cellphones.
“These suspects were about 15-years-old. They did not go to school. Someone alerted the police who arrived a few minutes later. But, by that time it was too late. Two of the suspects had died, a third is in a serious condition and the fourth guy ran away.”
She said they did not feel bad about the two youngsters dying.
“We are very happy they are dead. At least now they won’t worry anyone. It is also a warning to other robbers. We are not afraid of guns. They will feel fire if they rob us again. We are sick and tired of being terrorised by criminals and bullies in the area.”
A teacher, who also did not want to be named, described the problem of robberies at schools in the area as a “crisis”.
“These criminals are terrorising pupils and teachers almost every day. They come on to the property with guns and knives and threaten to kill us if we do not hand over our valuables.”
He said teachers were of the view that the department needed to help by stepping up security at schools and repairing broken fences.
“We do not have a proper security guard at school. At Zwelihle High School an old man just sits at the gate. He cannot do anything to stop the criminals. We are appealing to the department to give us more funding for professional security guards.”
A police source at Umlazi SAPS confirmed the incident and said no arrests had been made. Pupils were expected to be questioned by police on Monday.
Department of Education spokesman, Mbali Thusi, confirmed the incident. - Daily News