An unholy war is being waged at Cape schools where children are shaking hands with the devil by playing around with Satan worship.
A Daily Voice investigation has tracked down shocking cases of Satanism at local high schools.
School authorities, psychologists, social workers, churches and police have been drafted in to combat the growing problem.
And they have even introduced “Satanism education” as part of a drastic new programme to combat the occult trend on playgrounds.
In many cases, clergymen and educators say absent parents are to blame as their neglected children turn to devil worship for an identity.
It has surfaced children as young as 13 years old are carrying out demonic satanic rituals.
These include slaughtering cats, cutting their own flesh and drinking human blood at premises outside of school grounds.
The Western Cape Department of Education has identified two schools in Ceres and Mitchell’s Plain where pupils were involved in Satanism this year.
Last week, Tafelsig High School in Mitchell’s Plain came under the spotlight when a specialised police unit was sent in to investigate reports of children carrying out satanic rituals.
Principal Rushda O’Shea on Tuesday night revealed some of her students are carrying out the sick rituals in parks near the school.
“Children haven’t done rituals on the school grounds,” she says.
“They said they were meeting at the Swartklip Fan Park and somewhere in Westridge.
“And that they would do between six and eight cuts and meet on Wednesdays and Fridays.”
The teacher first raised the alarm when she noticed pupils were wearing dark eyeliner and nail varnish – and drawing on their hands to hide their cuts.
She reveals she identified 15 pupils from Grade 8 and 9 who were lured into the devil’s work.
“We noticed children were coming to school with dark eye pencil and dark nail polish,” she explains.
“I saw drawings on their hands.
“I called these children in and identified 13 of them and then 15 in total.
“We called in authorities, including their parents.”
O’Shea says she believes most of the kids’ issues begin at home.
“They either have problems at home and are in an emotional state and cut themselves to relieve themselves of the pain,” she says.
The principal showed the Daily Voice a disturbing drawing by a female pupil who wrote of their love for the devil.
“They said they went to libraries to read books on Satanism and on the internet,” she says.
“They said they are part of three groups – the Emos who are emotional children and are depressed, the Goths who dress in black and the Satanists.”
O’Shea and local church authorities now have talks about Satanism at school programmes.
Mitchell’s Plain Community Police Forum spokesman, Mogammet Fazloodien, was one of the first to be approached by a parent about Satanism at the school.
“A mother came to us about her daughter and then we discovered it was a behavioural problem and the principal sent a letter to the mother,” he says.
“We discovered she was involved in Satanism.”
Father Mike Williams of the Anglican Catholic Church says Satanism is a very real problem on the Cape Flats.
And he says once someone becomes a Satanist, the only way to be “cleansed” is for an exorcism to take place.
“If they finally want to get help, they need to be exorcised to cast out the demon and send it back where it came from,” explains Father Mike who has visited Satanic homes during his religious visits.
“In 1975, I learnt through a sermon on the radio by Reverend Father James Killcullen that the Satan headquarters in the world was in Johannesburg.”
Father Mike says the tell-tale signs of someone who is a Satanist is someone who steals religious statues for ceremonial purposes.
“They will steal from the tabernacle from the Roman Catholic or the Anglican Church, part of the ritual would be to place it upside down, to urinate, defecate or perform sexual gestures with it.
“That would be from the crucifix to the Mother Mary.
“Or they will pray the Our Father from back to front.”
Education Department Director of Communication Paddy Attwell confirms the authorities are aware of the satanic practices at some schools.
“The department has received two reports of learners being involved in Satanism this year – in Ceres in February and Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain, in May.”
“Some parents and learners opted to seek help from their churches and relatives.”
*This article was published in the Daily Voice