Learning and teaching once again came to a halt at Effingham Secondary School, north of Durban, after the torching of two classrooms, a guard's hut and damage to a toilet over drugs amid claims of police brutality.
Some parents and pupils blame management for the chaos at the school on Wednesday, but officials are adamant they will not tolerate drugs and crime.
In a letter to parents and stakeholders, school principal LL Xala and governing body chair Priscilla Molefe explained a police investigation had revealed how students had entered the school ground using the fence and were found with drugs.
“Following this, a riot was instigated by the associates of the students involved. The scholar and governing body is addressing this with the utmost seriousness and is committed to handle this matter based on verified information and evidence,” they said.
Lessons will resume on Thursday, they said.
A flurry of videos surfaced on social media showing pupils burning documents inside a toilet and a bin. Another depicts some pupils using a hose pipe directed at the school's security officers.
Matriculants are due to commence with their trial exams on August 28. However, not all pupils returned to school on Thursday.
One parent of two children, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident had left her disappointed.
“I am worried because we are in the dark about what exactly transpired. This is part of the reason why I took a decision to not send my two children to school. I hoped we would be called into school for a meeting," she said.
A matriculant, who lives at the nearby Khokhoba informal settlement, said the incident had left him traumatised.
“When the policemen meted out the assault against some pupils, we were terrified. They also did not have any identification on their chests,” said the pupil, who accused the police and the principal of unfairly targeting them.
It is unthinkable that in a province where there are schools in dire need of toilets and textbooks there are learners who will purposefully destroy these for drugs.
— Sakhile Mngadi, DA KZN education spokesperson
A guardian of another matriculant said he did not attend school on Thursday because his eardrum was bruised.
“We are still waiting for the school to play open cards as to exactly what really happened,” said the guardian.
The learner said during their ordeal they were assaulted for over 30 minutes.
The school is not new to controversy. In February 2019, then school principal Inderan Govender was run out of school after being accused by pupils and parents of using heavy-handed tactics to deal with drug dealing on the premises.
Govender was escorted by police after pupils protested at the school after five men allegedly removed certain pupils from their classrooms, accused them of drug dealing, then stripped and assaulted them with knuckle-dusters.
In May 2022 the school was again at the centre of attention after what began as an altercation between two schoolgirls erupted into chaos as private security officers and police faced off with dozens of unruly pupils.
Tension arose over police brutality after a video of a man pointing a rifle at a girl in a school uniform went viral, reaching the KwaZulu-Natal legislature's portfolio committee on education.
KZN police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda referred queries to the provincial education department.
DA KZN education spokesperson Sakhile Mngadi condemned the incident, saying they would write to provincial MEC Sipho Hlomuka to intervene after visiting the school on Thursday.
“The school is currently facing a drug problem and it is alleged that there are learners who are selling and using drugs on the school premises,” said Mngadi, adding that it was for this reason the DA was vehemently condemning this incident.
“It is unthinkable that in a province where there are schools in dire need of toilets and textbooks there are learners who will purposefully destroy these for drugs.”
The DA welcomed the investigation initiated by the principal and supported a probe into then pupils who instigated the chaos, said Mngadi.
“Violence and crime often spill over to schools due to the problems in communities. A whole-society approach involving police, community leaders, learners and religious leaders and most importantly parents must be implemented to turn matters around.”
Provincial education department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi commended the stance taken by the school principal.
“We commend her for the stand she has taken to work with the police to uproot drugs from the school. At some stage she was accused of locking the toilets and only opening them during the breaks. That was not right but she has stationed security there. Learners used to leave class and go and smoke in the toilets,” said Mahlambi.
The arrangement to work with the police was entered into long ago by the department, and the work of the police was commendable, he said.
Mahlambi vowed the department would not tolerate anarchy at the school.
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