Johannesburg- Fear and anxiety have gripped parents in Ezakheni township and surrounding areas under the Alfred Duma local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the 2021 matric exams.
Parents who spoke to Sunday World said police should be deployed to schools to ensure the safety of pupils who will be sitting for the exams from Wednesday October 27.
Bongekile Miya, a mother of pupil who was rescued in one of the school’s toilets in the Ezakheni township when a gang member who is also a pupil tried to rape her, said her daughter was terrified about the ordeal.
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“I’m afraid that she won’t do well in her exams because she missed out on several classes because after the incident, she was terrified to attend school. Young boys are running riot, grouping themselves into gangs. Since last year, they have been tormenting other pupils. We are afraid that the violence will affect the writing of exams,” said Miya.
Another parent, Sizakele Mazibuko, said fights on and off the school grounds were a regular occurrence among gang members, putting pupils in harm’s way. “Whenever a teenager is at school, I always hold my breath fearing that he might not make it back home. The people who are gang members are also learners and they carry dangerous weapons to school. This situation has also resulted in teachers leaving some schools because of safety concerns.” Ezakheni township, Police patrols needed at gang-ridden schools about 25km from Ladysmith, is considered one of the most violent townships in KwaZulu-Natal.
Kwazi Mthethwa, the KwaZulu-Natal education spokesperson, said the department had put safety measures in place to ensure that schools were not interrupted during the matric examinations. “The MEC has had several meetings with different stakeholders, including the police, to deal with school violence that has destabilised normal teaching and learning in the area. This war cannot be defeated by the government alone, the wider community must defend the education of their children.”
Last week, education MEC Kwazi Mshengu leading a government delegation, visited the township after parents and residents wrote to his office requesting immediate intervention. At the heart of the deadly violence is rival gangs who have taken their drug turfs wars to schools. The violent confrontation has already led to the death of four pupils and two female pupils were reportedly raped.
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