A MAN was escorted from the Arboretum Primary School property by a head of department on Thursday afternoon, after he was reportedly seen talking to Grade 7 girls and offering at least two boys money to buy sweets.
Principal, Mr Kobus Buitendag confirmed that a man with light tinted purple hair engaged with pupils after school, but vigilant witnesses spotted the suspicious behaviour and reported the matter to the department head.
The teacher subsequently tracked down the man, questioned him and warned him to immediately leave the school premises.
He also told him he would be reported to the police if he is spotted near the school again.
Mr Buitendag, who immediately interviewed children who had encounters with the trespasser, said it has since emerged that he had previously been seen at the school before and had followed a pupil to a shopping mall.
‘Grade 7 girls said the man complimented them on their appearance and that he had also been seen in the vicinity of the high school.
‘This person has absolutely no interest in the school and had told different stories to different people.
‘He told one he was a student and another, that he was unemployed and from Pretoria.
‘He has committed no crime for which we can report him to the police, but our first duty is to protect our children and to investigate any suspicious behaviour or threat immediately.’
A story broke on Facebook on Thursday night and spread like wildfire, reporting that a man with purple hair attempted to lead a young girl from the school grounds, but Mr Buitendag reiterated that there was no attempted kidnapping.
The man is described as Caucasian, about 20 years-old, approximately 1,8 m tall, with light brown hair and self-inflicted cuts on his calf muscle and front arm.
Incidentally, the Arboretum Primary School took the lead in the fight against human trafficking when the school hosted an anti-human trafficking campaign in January last year, to educate learners about stranger danger.
Donned in red, the pupils formed a large cross, which is the international symbol of the fight against human trafficking.
The event made front page news in the Zululand Observer and was subsequently picked up by the CNN Freedom Network.
One of the stern warnings that went out from Pastor Caroline Pitout of Freedom Generation SA at the time of the campaign, was that children should never accept candy or money from strangers. Meanwhile, the vigilance of the school in picking up suspicious behaviour and reacting to security threats swiftly and decisively, is widely applaud by community members and parents.
The matter was also reported to the police.
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