Mboro's church was set alight on Tuesday. Picture: Twitter / @Ori_RSA
The attack and abduction at a Katlehong school – allegedly led by controversial Paseka “Pastor Mboro” Motsoeneng – is yet another indication the country does not respect education or the lives and well-being of its children and teachers, said South African Democratic Teachers Union general secretary Mugwena Maluleke.
“Our schools are supposed to be safe places. Policies dictate that you shouldn’t bring firearms into schools, yet people do it anyway. It is shameful.”
Hours after a video of the attack went viral on social media, angry community members set alight Mboro’s tented church in Katlehong.
ALSO READ: Pastor Mboro’s church in Katlehong set on fire by angry community [VIDEO]
Community members, mostly children in school uniform, were seen trashing the insides of the Incredible Happenings tent, while others set its panels alight.
The arson followed the arrest of four people on Monday evening. Police confirmed later that a fifth person had been arrested in connection with the school attack.
“We are subjecting our teachers and children to violence. We as teachers are not protected or safe because we live in a society that doesn’t value education,” Maluleke said.
“Leaders are silent because they don’t see the need to protect education. It’s shocking to live in a society that doesn’t prioritise protecting education to ensure the future of our country.”
Self-proclaimed prophet Motsoeneng was allegedly among a group that forcibly removed two children from the school while waving a panga and automatic rifle.
The church was only a short distance away from a police station and officers were at the scene observing the commotion, while firefighters tended to the blaze. Following the fire, which gutted the tent, police thanked the community for sharing information that led to the arrest of the fifth suspect.
ALSO READ: Fifth suspect arrested in Pastor Mboro’s panga-wielding school attack case
In the video, Motsoeneng was reportedly seen swinging a panga wildly in the direction of staff, as the men exited the school with two children believed to be his grandchildren.
Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni confirmed the suspects would face charges of assault and intimidation, as well as malicious damage to property.
Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube called on Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu to have the matter investigated urgently.
“This is the kind of violence that should be condemned and prevented in our schools,” said Gwarube.
“[Teachers] and pupils cannot be expected to perform optimally when they are subjected to the risk of such senseless violence at any moment,” she said.
Two families in the Katlehong community have been at loggerheads over the custody of the children attending at the school, according to the maternal family.
ALSO READ: Government ‘never raised a finger’ to protect teachers: Sadtu after KZN shooting
DA Gauteng spokesperson for education Michael Waters called on department of education MEC Matome Chiloane to act decisively against the school invaders and that Motsoeneng and his associates be held accountable for their alleged actions.
“We want MEC Chiloane to urgently enhance the security measures in Gauteng schools to ensure the safety of pupils and teachers,” Waters said.
“Their safety must be prioritised, and no-one, including [Motsoeneng] is permitted to enter a school and threaten either of them.”
This is not the first time school safety is under the spotlight. The department of education last month reported on a man, who had been implicated in a series of robberies using a gun, posing as a parent in search of placement for two children.
“This is one of many incidents in our schools in which dangerous weapons are used to intimidate teachers and pupils,” Waters said.
“We will continue to urge the departments of education and community safety to review the school safety strategy to ensure that pupils are safe and taught in an environment free of violence,” he said.
According to the family, the grandmother and uncle of the children were among the four arrested yesterday.
ALSO READ: Pastor Mboro arrested after panga-wielding school chaos
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
