Pretoria community wants to work with police in ‘dodgy area’ after pupil stabbed

The grade 12 pupil who was rushed to hospital on Friday after being stabbed four times has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home.

On Monday community members, politicians and police met at the Langenhoven High School to discuss the way forward after the stabbing of the pupil.

The stabbing outside Langenhoven High School came on the same day as a pupil was stabbed outside a school in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal. That pupil, a 15-year-old boy, later died from his injuries.

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Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety, Crezane Bosch, said the injured pupil from Langenhoven High School has been discharged from hospital.

Bosch said a meeting was held to discuss proposals to form a joint operations team from various sectors of government to address the crime in the area.

“The meeting was attended by Crime Intelligence, metro police, the central police station, and some of the community members in the area. We inspected the walkway from Struben Street at the Apies River to Capital Park, in Paul Kruger Avenue, where the incident took place,” she said.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and work with police to ensure the safety of the community is prioritised,” she said.

Police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Sello, said a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was opened at Wonderboompoort police station after the 17-year-old teenager was stabbed.

“The circumstances that led to the incident are unknown at this stage as the police investigation continues,” he said.

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Pretoria resident Andries Pretorius said it has been dangerous in that area since the 1990s.

“It’s been a dodgy area for many years. I remember taking the bus because one of my friends in that school got stabbed walking home from school,” Pretorius said.

South African Teachers’ Union (SAOU) spokesperson, Stephan Van der Berg said the union is concerned by the brutal attack on the pupil.

“The union understands that violent crime is nothing new in South Africa, but this should never be accepted as the norm,” he said.

Van den Berg said not only was violent crime a blight on society, but effective teaching and learning were directly affected by it.

“Pupils and teachers cannot be expected to perform optimally when danger lurks just outside the school gates,” he said.

Van den Berg said SAOU welcomed co-operation between schools and the communities they serve.

“This includes building strong relationships between schools and their local law enforcement partners in the effort to ensure a safe community, which will translate into a safe schooling environment,” he said.

Van den Berg said any form of violence must be addressed immediately by the police, whether the perpetrators were pupils or adults.

“Criminals, regardless of their age, do not belong in or near a school. No exceptions can be made in dealing with this senseless violence,” he said.

marizkac@citizen.co.za