Home News 30 pupils suspended after gang fight at city school

30 pupils suspended after gang fight at city school

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The Northern Cape Department of Education has suspended 30 pupils from Greenpoint High School for seven days, as a precautionary measure, following a clash between rival gangs at the school on Wednesday.

Greenpoint High School pupils were dismissed early on Wednesday after a gang fight at the school. Picture: Soraya Crowie

THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Education has suspended 30 pupils from Greenpoint High School for seven days, as a precautionary measure, following a clash between rival gangs at the school this week.

The school has also engaged education support services (ESS).

The decision to suspend the pupils was taken during Thursday’s multisectoral engagements that reflected on the situation at the school following the gang fight on Wednesday.

Department spokesperson Sydney Stander said disciplinary proceedings will be instituted in line with the school’s code of conduct.

Wednesday’s incident had left pupils and teachers traumatised after they were trapped inside a classroom where a fellow pupil was attacked and stabbed in their presence.

They had to witness the brutal fight after the door to the classroom was shut.

Chaos erupted as stones started flying, with pupils and teachers at the school having to run for cover as the fight spilled out onto the school premises and into the street.

Following the multisectoral engagements, the school’s matric pupils continued with their planned lessons on Friday.

“The department conveys our sympathy to the teacher who was held hostage in the line of duty. We wish her a speedy recovery and commit that we are ready to offer debriefing services for her to return to stability in terms of internalising her ordeal,” said Stander.

The department also committed that the police will be on the premises until school adjourns to guarantee a safe environment.

Stander said their analysis identified four gangs that are fighting each other over territory.

He explained that some of the fighting spilt over into schools due to some of the gang members being pupils.

He said the army was identified in terms of various programmes that can help the process of debriefing the identified pupils.

“We are committed to assisting the learners to realise the dangers of their conduct and to provide an alternative of building their lives to become responsible members of our communities,” said Stander.

“We have agreed to the adopt-a-cop programme responsible for Greenpoint to be visible around the school following the incident.

“We have also planned a community meeting on Sunday because we believe the community has a central role to play in defusing the problem, as it affects every facet of community life.

“The good thing is that the majority of learners are committed to their studies and they want to pursue their dreams of a better education for a better future,” Stander concluded.

Greenpoint High School was dismissed early on Wednesday after pupils apparently threatened teachers. Pictures: Soraya Crowie
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