The Badirile High School Representative Council of Learners’ president says if corporal punishment could be reintroduced by the Department of Education‚ gangsterism in the school would not exist. Speaking to TMG Digital from the school in Khutsong‚ on the West Rand‚ on Friday afternoon‚ Daniel Mamela‚ 18‚ said widespread gangsterism in the area‚ which has affected learning and teaching at the school‚ is a result of the non-existence of corporal punishment.Corporal punishment is like daily bread in our school‚ says studentA safety audit was conducted late last year across 244 Western Cape Schools by Equal Education and the results show that children find their learning environment unsafe. "I honestly blame the government for taking away corporal punishment because since the government took away this form of punishment‚ there has been a lack of discipline within learners. Learners now know that they can do whatever they want because they know that no teacher has a right to dare touch them‚" said Mamela.Teacher filmed beating matric learners suspended with immediate effect“The teacher from Tokotoko High School in Nongoma whose video of her beating learners went viral has been suspended with immediate effect‚” the Department of Basic Education - @DBE_SA - tweeted on Tuesday. There are believed to be about eight rival gangs in Khutsong and some of the members are school pupils.Mamela's comments come as Gauteng MEC Panyaza Lesufi is set to have a meeting with the school governing body‚ school management‚ police as well as Badirile’s representative council of learners committee on Friday afternoon."In our township we face a huge problem‚ which is gangsterism. It has been going since last year and we've been trying to meet with the police…. We come up with ideas on how to solve them (the issues) but they (the proposed plans) disappear without a trace‚" said the learners council president.Violence between the “Creatures” and the “Garenjas” erupted recently‚ when members of the rival groups attacked each other. Two learners from Tswasungu High School and one from Badirile were stabbed. One was killed: learner Sabelo Phalindlela (19) died in the Badirile High School’s staff room on September 1‚ after bleeding to death.Mamela said the situation at the school was calm on Monday but throughout the week it has been “really bad”.Last year‚ a 16-year-old teenager was stabbed in the face by a rival gang in the school toilets‚ for which he needed 12 stitches. The Grade 9 pupil was a member of the Casanova gang‚ and said he had been attacked by members of the Creatures.In January 2015‚ a teacher at the school told the Sowetan newspaper how they worked in fear‚ saying: “We are panicking and do not know what will happen to us in school or in the township… Some of them (pupils) are armed with guns.”The teacher‚ prophetically‚ said: "Gangs are a problem. One day a learner is going to die here.”..