DURBAN - A high school pupil was stabbed at a school in Ladysmith, northern KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday morning.
The DA in the province condemned the attack .
DA KZN Education spokesperson Dr Imran Keeka said the pupil was stabbed in the shoulder by perpetrators who had allegedly barged through the school gates and passed security guards.
“The DA is shocked by this horrific incident. Regrettably, it is not the first school stabbing that has made headlines nationally during the last few weeks. That this learner escaped with his life and that no one else was injured, is a miracle,” Keeka said.
“The fact that this daring crime was pulled off in such a brazen manner has again highlighted just how inadequate school security really is.”
Keeka said the DA would write to KZN Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu, calling on to him to investigate the matter fully so that the lapses in security are identified.
He said in the case of schools where security companies were service providers, the DA’s oversight visits had shown that there was not a single instance where security guards had access to an urgent communication channel in the event of a major incident.
Had the security guards had access to communication devices at Ladysmith High School, Thursday’s “ghastly” incident could have been avoided.
“The DA welcomes the swift response by the SAPS in this instance and sincerely hope that they will soon track down the thugs responsible for this horrendous crime,” Keeka said.
He said schools must be safe places for teaching and learning. Achieving this required a collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including communities, who could help identify criminals involved in crimes.
Police had not commented by the time of publication.
Going back to 2019, Keeka said when KZN’s school security programme was being discussed, the DA made several recommendations which included but were not limited to:
• Self-defence training for security personnel at schools;
• Deterrents including pepper spray;
• A direct link to armed back-up support where schools use a security company; and
• CCTV cameras at so-called hot-spot schools.
Keeka said at the time, they also called for schools that could afford to install their own CCTV systems to do so given the important role they played in providing evidence when “unfortunate incidents occur”.
“Oversight inspections by the DA, even those conducted recently, have shown just how easy it is to enter school premises on simple pretences.
“The same visits have also exposed the lack of properly trained personnel as well as severe capacity issues when it comes to security, even in areas where gangs are known to be operating.”
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