A stabbing incident at Curro Protea Glen in Soweto sparked outrage among pupils and parents at the private school, who have raised concerns over security at the school.
They criticised the school’s executive head Johannes Mahlatsi’s handling of the incident and accused him of misrepresenting facts. A Grade 11 pupil is recovering after he was stabbed by a fellow pupil in an alleged incident of bullying at the school on Friday. The Grade 9 pupil is said to have attacked the older pupil in the school bathrooms.
Curro deputy CEO Mari Lategan defended Mahlatsi’s handling of the incident, saying he followed the proper protocols, including releasing the pupils to go home early, as well as sending a letter to the parents. Lategan highlighted that pupil safety was one of Curro’s highest priorities.
“The injured learner received medical treatment and is in the care of their parents. The other learner involved is facing immediate action while the incident is being investigated. The matter has been reported to SAPS, and Curro is co-operating fully with the authorities.
“This incident is a serious violation of our code of conduct. We are engaging with the affected learners’ parents and making counselling and support available as required. We are also reviewing additional measures to prevent a similar incident,” said Lategan.
While the full investigation is under way, some pupils who spoke to Sunday World claim that Mahlatsi’s statement to the parents omitted important details about what transpired.
“After the Grade 11 learner was stabbed, he went to the staff room to report the incident, and that’s when he fell on the ground. The attacker ran away from the school, while the management got the cleaners to clean up the crime scene. The police were barred from entering the school premises, and this made us ask so many questions about what was really happening when the crime scene got contaminated and cleaned up,” said one pupil.
“Things are getting worse at Curro in Protea Glen, as the school did not even deal with the stabbing incident in a proper manner. Mr Mahlatsi told us to act normally as if nothing had happened. The school didn’t do any emergency protocol to deal with the situation, as it should have happened,” said another pupil.
According to Lategan, the investigation will determine accountability and appropriate disciplinary action. She dispelled what she termed unverified information and speculation regarding the incident and called on parents to rely on verified updates and allow due process to run its course.
Despite the assurance from the school, some pupils staged a protest at the campus on Friday and demanded justice for the stabbed pupil. In a video seen by Sunday World, pupils disrupted classes and declared that learning and teaching would stall until the matter was resolved.
Some even took to social media platforms to vent.
In support of their children, some parents have also accused Mahlatsi of misrepresenting the facts. They took offence at Mahlatsi’s suggestion that the incident emanates from external township gang-related tensions and not from school activities.
“This issue of saying the incident is gang-related, as Mr Mahlatsi claims that it is township feuds; he is misleading us, as there is nothing like that. Our children and the teachers are not safe at that school,” said a concerned parent.
Another parent said, “How on earth could a learner have sneaked a butcher knife at school? This demonstrates the compromised safety of learners, teachers, and supporting staff at Curro Protea Glen. Mr Mahlatsi just tried to spin this whole thing so that the image of the school cannot be tainted.”
The Gauteng Education Department did not respond to Sunday World’s request for a comment in time for publication.
