MEC vows to 'crush' gangsterism at school

KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana says gangster-like behaviour will not be tolerated at a school where pupils attacked each other in a knife fight that went viral.

Jarring video footage of the brawl showed pupils attacking each other as mobs of screaming children crowded around at Richard’s Bay Secondary school.

Speaking to pupils at the school on Monday he said: "We understand that some learners have grouped themselves‚ whether you call it gangsterism or not‚ we are not going to allow that.

"We will crush those who think that we will stand idly by while they take control of this school‚” he added.

Dlungwana is the second provincial education MEC to visit a school plagued by violence and gangs in the past few days

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi warned pupils at Norkem Park High School in Kempton Park about violence and gangs on Friday. But on the day of his visit‚ two pupils assaulted teachers. One of the teachers was knocked unconscious.

“There is no way‚ no way‚ under my leadership I am going to have a Yizo Yizo school‚” Lesufi said afterwards. “We will never surrender the education of our own children to future gangsters. We will never surrender the future of the education to people that want to be prostitutes while they are still young.”

Dlungwana said on Monday that reports from officials indicated that on Friday‚ when the video footage was recorded at Richards Bay‚ several pupils had come to school armed with guns and knives.

“We will not allow behaviour like this‚ not in these schools that we are in charge of. It was the behaviour of some of you that brought us here. We are receiving reports about what transpired.”

This incident in Richards Bay followed shortly after that of Siyathuthuka Secondary School in Inanda‚ Durban‚ where a 20-second video of a teen being assaulted in November went viral. The boy who tripped‚ hit and kicked the girl is now out on bail.