Johannesburg - Concerned parents of Rondebult Secondary School in Germiston recently wrote to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, following a series of gang-related fights and bullying incidents at the school.
This comes after the school, in February, witnessed some of their learners engage in gang wars among each other. Two months later, in April, the same learners escalated their fights outside school premises with a faction called the Scotlands and Aziwe affiliates.
However, during the meeting, there was a lot of uncertainty on how to go about resolving this matter as some of the learners did not belong to Rondebult but to other schools.
‘’Scotlands are not a gang but learners who form study groups. However, they have been bullied by members of Aziwe, who are the ones who carry knives and weapons and bully other students,’’ a concerned parent told The Star.
It is reported that a fight in the community over a weekend in April triggered a new wave of fighting and violence at the school following incidents in February this year.
The Star attended a parents' meeting at the school that was aimed at resolving the issues, and The Star spoke to some of the concerned parents, who have since directed their concerns to the minister.
In an email, one of the parents says he is concerned by the escalation of gang violence between learners at the school, as this has resulted in an atmosphere of fear.
‘’As a concerned citizen, I believe that it is the responsibility of the government to provide a safe and conducive learning environment for our children.’’
‘’Over the past few months, the level of gangsterism at Rondebult Secondary School has become increasingly alarming. Students are being subjected to violence and intimidation by gang members who are known to operate within and around the school premises.’’
‘’This has not only created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity but has also resulted in a decline in academic performance among students,’’ the parent alleges.
Some parents called for increased security at the school, and the installation of cameras at the school would help resolve the issues as the currently deployed security personnel at the school are inadequate.
‘’I urge you, as the Minister of Education, to take swift and decisive action to address this issue. I believe that this can be achieved by increasing security measures around the school, including the deployment of additional law enforcement officers and installing surveillance cameras. It is also important to establish programmes that educate students on the dangers of gangsterism and provide them with alternative activities that can help keep them away from these criminal activities.’’
The sentiments of the Rondebult incidents are shared by the Democratic Alliance shadow MEC of education, Khume Ramulifho, who said during his recent oversight inspection at Almont Technical School in Protea South, Soweto, he witnessed a learner running away from another learner who allegedly pointed a knife at him.
‘’Last Friday, there were incidents at the same school involving police and learners. These violent incidents are continuing to occur despite the police conducting random patrols and searches at the school,’’ Ramulifho said.
He said previously that the police had uncovered weapons, alcohol, and dagga at some of the schools.
‘’Furthermore, yesterday (on Monday) in Pretoria, there was another incident of violence reported at Ruabohlale High in block TT in Soshanguve, Tshwane. The DA has been reliably informed that a young man was stabbed multiple times in the stomach by a learner on the school premises,’’ he said.
Ramulifho said for a long time the party has been calling for the provincial department to review its school’s safety strategy due to ongoing incidents of violence at our schools.
With the month being dedicated to ensuring safety at schools, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education, Steve Mabona, said the department would, later this week, address matters of safety at schools.
‘’We are going to brief the media on school safety this weekend,’’ Mabona said.
The Ministry of Basic Education was not available for comment at the time of going to print. However, in a recent press statement, it said it takes safety in schools very seriously and has various interventions to ensure safety across schools in the country.
‘’The Department of Basic Education takes school safety very seriously, and as an apex priority, the department has put in place various policies and measures to ensure the safety of all learners, educators, and relevant stakeholders in schools.’’
‘’The Department reiterates that there is no place for violence, drug use or abuse, sexual harassment, or other criminal acts in schools as they pose a serious barrier to learning. The Department views these ills in a serious light because they carry the potential to deprive our learners of their inherent constitutional rights to life, education, equality, and dignity,’’ the department said.
The Star