Durban - ALLEGATIONS of schoolyard fights, loud music, drug peddling, racial slurs and unruly behaviour have emerged as the reasons behind a Durban school being forced to shut its gates this week.
Classes for pupils in Grades 8, 9, 10 and 12 at Effingham Secondary School in Durban will resume tomorrow, while Grade 11 pupils will be allowed back on Tuesday.
The decision by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education came after an urgent meeting was held with parents at the school hall yesterday, following an outbreak of violence.
The school was forced to close on Thursday following several disruptions,
including allegations of security officers and police manhandling pupils. Video clips of the violence and disruption at the school have gone viral and have caused outrage. In one, a security officer was seen pointing a rifle at pupils, while in another a schoolgirl was dragged by security guards. Yesterday’s meeting highlighted that drug peddling on school premises had increased over the past two years. Ill-disciplined pupils were another factor, with the latest incident taking place on Wednesday.
Two schoolgirls were caught fighting, while schoolboys disrupted teaching and learning by playing music on a boom box. Attempts by the teachers to have them hand over the boom box failed, and the situation escalated.
The SAPS were called to the school, resulting in pupils retaliating.
The pupils claimed the police were brutal towards them and demanded an apology from them. They then embarked on a protest, refusing to go to class.
By Thursday, the situation heightened with sporadic fights among girls at the school, which was eventually brought under control by teachers and the department.
Sifiso Mthiyane, a parent, claimed the situation began with racial slurs made against pupils, including his son.
“Videos showed our children being pointed at with firearms and my son was hit with a gun on his chest. He is asthmatic and was affected by this.
“What if someone died outside the gate?
“I don’t think this is about drugs, more so about racial slurs that our children are exposed to,” he said.
Another concerned parent, Thulani Buthelezi, said any criminal offence must be reported to law enforcement as schools should be a place of safety. “How do I ensure the safety of my child here?
“From what has happened and what we saw on social media, what kind of impression do we get after seeing the girl being dragged by security?
“We need fair leaders. Something is wrong here and guidance is needed,” he said.
KZN Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said procedures were in place to deal with the issue.
“We’ve met with the parents, and they are in unison with us to uproot the bad elements causing disruption at the school.
“Five boys caused chaos with the boom box and parents agreed this should not be allowed.
“Grade 11 learners are the issue, hence us not allowing them to return to school with the other grades on Monday,” Mahlambi said.
“They will join on Tuesday, and we will observe the situation.
“If warranted, we will have another meeting with parents next weekend. “The rifle pointing at a learner is being dealt with and the MEC has given direction to the legal unit to open a case against the security guard.
“With regard to drugs and unruly behaviour, parents have given us the mandate to deal with these issues according to the school code of conduct and we have legal services handling this as well as the allegations against the police,” said Mahlambi.
Spokesperson for the Durban metro police, Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad, said the SAPS, metro police and private security personnel were called to attend to the situation at the school.
“One security member tried to forcibly arrest one of the learners and one of the metro police members intervened to separate the two.
“We can confirm that the person seen in the video holding and pointing a firearm is not from metro police,” he said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE