An EMPD officer was suspended and is under investigation for misconduct for sharing false information on social media which quickly went viral.
Panicked parents rushed to Ekurhuleni schools, including Klopperpark Primary, on September 4 after receiving messages that schools were being targeted and children kidnapped.
Themba Gadebe, the City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson, said the EMPD traffic warden was suspended on September 5 after a video of her telling parents to pick up their children went viral.
In the video she urged parents to fetch their children from schools as foreign nationals were allegedly targeting schools.
“The city has a zero-tolerance stance on any of its employees spreading false information,” said Gadebe.
“It is not yet known what the officer’s intentions were.”
Parents at Klopperpark Primary expressed great concern for the well-being of their children.
“I ran as fast as I could from Karaglen Shopping Centre to Klopperpark Primary after hearing the rumours to get to my child,” one mother told the NEWS.
In light of the panic, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) urged parents to remain calm amid the unrest.
According to the GDE, schools in the Katlehong area were affected the most by the panic caused by the rumours.
The GDE said no schools were burnt on September 4.
“We would like to appeal to parents to remain calm and urge the community to refrain from disrupting teaching and learning,” said GDE MEC Panyaza Lesufi.
“We believe that with the ongoing criminal activities, our schools are a safer and conducive environment for learners than the streets,” said Lesufi.
Many parents attributed their concerns to the public disturbances and looting occurring in the greater Johannesburg area.
The unrest, which started on September 1, saw shops looted in Johannesburg, especially Malvern and Jeppestown and later in Ekurhuleni.
Ekurhuleni areas most affected included Germiston, Kempton Park and Tembisa.
According to the communication officers of Bedfordview and Edenvale police stations, there were no incidents of public unrest or looting in the stations’ precincts.
“We received a report of a looted shop in Elandsfontein but upon arrival officers found nothing,” said Bedfordview SAPS spokesperson Capt André de Jager.
Edenvale SAPS spokesperson Sgt Jacob Mashile said there was no unrest in Edenvale but officers were patrolling the town.
He urged residents not to panic.
A father talks about the panic experienced after received messages that school children were being kidnapped
