Eldorado Park Secondary pupil in court for pointing gun at teacher

A 15-year-old pupil who allegedly pulled a gun on a teacher at Eldorado Park Secondary School made a brief appearance in the Protea Children's Court in Soweto on Friday.

He was charged with pointing a gun and possession of a dangerous weapon. His next court appearance will be on September 28.

Police spokesperson Kay Makhubela said the grade eight pupil was arrested on Wednesday and subsequently released into the custody of his parents.

The incident‚ which happened on Wednesday‚ was condemned as “unacceptable” by the National Association of School Governing Bodies.

“It’s unacceptable that a learner can threaten a teacher when the relationship between the two should be the same as parent and child‚” said the association’s spokesperson‚ Matakanye Matakanya.

Matakanya further added that the education department should “really come to the party and deal decisively with this matter”.

The association urged the department to give school governing bodies the authority to formulate policies that would prioritise the safety of teachers.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said the department would not be lenient when dealing with such incidents at schools. “We have adopted a zero-nonsense tolerance approach towards delinquents and will demonstrate no mercy towards lawlessness in and around our schools.”

According to the department‚ the weapon was a Powerline gas gun.