PALM SPRINGS – A Tharabollo Secondary School pupil was stabbed to death on Friday, July 21 outside the school premises.
Thabo Xaba (20) who is in grade 10 succumbed to the stab wounds and was declared dead inside an ambulance as paramedics tried to save his life.
According to sources close to the incident, Xaba and his fellow pupil fought over earrings, which are said to be affiliated with a certain gang in the school.
Following the incident, on Monday, July 24, pupils, parents, and local residents disturbed learning at the school as they protested outside the school premises.
Public Order Police were called in to normalize the situation which led to classes being dismissed for the day.
Paulos Mphuthi father of the deceased said fellow pupils came to report the incident.
“When I got to the school, I found him inside the ambulance, with his uniform partly off. I was told he was stabbed multiple times in the hand and his chest,” he said.
“After being denied access in the ambulance, medics found us in the staff room and told us they tried all they could but my son had died. I went to clean his blood and took his shoes and put them in the plastic bag,” he added.
Mphuthi said he doesn’t know the motive for his son’s killing, however, the perpetrator shows no remorse for his actions.
“We don’t know what led to the stabbing, but when the boy who stabbed my son posted on social media, he said he always wanted to kill,” he said.
Mphuthi said all he wants is the boy justice for his murdered son.
“My son never complained about any gangsterism-related issues at school or his friends. I never suspected that they [Xaba and his friends] are affiliated with a gang. He was always in the midst of two friends and they never showed being problematic. All I want is my son’s killer to be found and put in jail,” he said.
Local patrollers went to maintain order at the school as they searched pupils for possession of any dangerous weapons.
On the other hand, parents fetched their children during the chaos on Monday.
Mary Bodibe a parent of a grade 9 pupil at the school said “We are scared for our children’s safety; hence we are here to fetch them. They will continue with their education when we are positive about their safety.”
Sthembiso Dlamini a patroller in the area said “We took scissors from every child during the search and found dagga on some of the pupils.”
Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the incident.
“Police attended to a complaint of murder at Tharabollo School in Palm Springs. A body of a 20-year-old man was found lying inside an ambulance and was certified dead by the paramedics. According to the information at hand, the victim fought with an unknown suspect who stabbed him multiple times. No arrests were made as yet and the suspect is unknown,” she said.
