Management of Gauteng school condemns school violence
“We were hurt by this unfortunate incident when we heard about it as we always preach and advise against such acts."
Sunrise Combined College has responded to the tragic incident that allegedly occurred between learners from their school and those of Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld High School on September 7.
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It is believed that a fight broke out between learners from both schools and a 19-year-old boy from Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld High School was injured and transported to hospital.
The learner died from his injuries in hospital on September 8.
“We strongly condemn violence, bullying and fighting of any nature whether on the school premises or not,” said Adore Ndebele, principal at Sunrise Combined College.
“We were hurt by this unfortunate incident when we heard about it as we always preach and advise against such acts.”
Ndebele also said fear spread among the learners following the incident.
“Once we were informed about the incident, we made the parents aware of it. We tried to contain the situation as a school which was not an easy task, as some of the learners were even afraid to come to school,” explained Ndebele.
“We had to hire taxis to transport learners to their designated areas after school. The children are afraid since the tragic incident.”
Captain Jethro Mtshali, spokesperson for Kempton Park SAPS accompanied the station’s detectives to both schools following the incident that claimed the life of the learner.
According to Mtshali, intimidation was reported between the learners of both schools, which prompted police to visit.
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“The purpose of the visit to both schools was to calm the situation while investigations continue.”
Ndebele further said that he and other school representatives visited the family of the learner who died.
“We visited the family to pay our condolences and were also present at the memorial service held on September 16,” shared Ndebele.
“We gathered our learners and had to remind them of the school’s code of conduct which is completely against violence.
Even speaking ill of and/or to a person is against our code of conduct as it might lead to something bigger.”
The school also plans to reach out to police to assist with the safety of learners.
“It has come to our attention that learners wander around the Kempton Park Civic Centre, where they are most likely to be exposed to illegal activities such as drugs.
“When we find our learners wandering at the civic centre, we question them and report it to their parents,” said Ndebele.
“This is one of the reasons why we call upon various stakeholders and personnel who deal with safety and security, such as police and CPF for more visibility and patrols around schools.
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“We are also looking at various measures to ensure that we keep our children away from being exposed to illegal activities.”
Ndebele also thanked management at Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld High School, “Thank you to the school’s management and the police with whom we worked hand-in-hand to calm the situation.
“Thank you to the police for taking this matter seriously.”
Express contacted the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) on the matter, however, no comment was received at the time of going to print.
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