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Anger in Geluksdal after school stabbing
18-year-old grade 10 pupil, Shawn Mphela, was stabbed to death outside the school last Thursday.
BRAKPAN - Angry Brakpan parents have vowed to keep their children out of classrooms at Geluksdal Secondary School.
They want Gauteng Education to keep its promise to put effective safety measures in place.
18-year-old grade 10 pupil, Shawn Mphela, was stabbed to death outside the school last Thursday.
A suspect has since appeared in court on a murder charge.
Yet another day filled with tension at Geluksdal Secondary school.
Angry parents and pupils disrupted schooling again on Monday, demanding answers on the murder of Shawn Mphela.
One parent, Tswanelo Hutchingson said, "our children are not safe at this school. The district office has failed us. We wrote memorandums and delivered them last year but they haven't responded."
Pupils from other schools in the area left the classrooms and took to the streets.
They marched to the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court- where the murder accused Dino Prince made his first appearance.
The Pan Africanist Student Organisation's Samkelo Mthethwa said, "this march is for Justice for Shawn. He has to get justice . These people must not be released on bail. They must be locked up for a long time. We are not only marching for justice but for all issues at schools to be resolved."
The incident has sparked racial tensions in the community,
Some parents insist that Mphela's killing was racially-motivated.
Community leader Logan Fortuin said, "this is not a political issue. People is now trying to take this thing away from what it is really is and trying to make it a political issue. All we are asking is for politics to stay out of this and so the community members the parents of this school can come up with the solution with the Department. They come up with better solutions."
The Gauteng Education Department's Steve Mabona said, “we understand that tensions are still high. We just need to work together to ensure that we out the interest of the learner at heart that is what we are doing. All demands that they out on the table. We agreed that we are going to investigate all the discrimination allegations. We are facilitating a process to have a law firm that will assist is with that."
The 35-year-old suspect Dino Prince will make another court appearance on 15 February.