The Kayamandi community in Stellenbosch has raised the alarm over the prevalence of gangsterism in local schools after primary school pupils were recruited to join gangs.
A 14-year-old pupil at iKaya Primary School was stabbed to death and another sustained injuries at a fight last week Friday.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested and will face a charge of murder, according to the police.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) confirmed the incidents which were allegedly linked to gangsterism.
"While the victims and perpetrators are learners that attend school, the incidents are allegedly gang-related incidents within the community,“ said provincial education spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond.
"Incidents of gangsterism have allegedly flared up over recent weeks in the Kayamandi area, which involve some of our youth,“ she said.
A community leader, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals, alleged that members of the gangs called amaParis, amaRoto and amaShiano were infiltrating schools and influencing children even at primary level.
“There are even girls being recruited or used to hide weapons. So even if searches were to be conducted on boys, very little or no weapons would be found because they are kept on girls,” he alleged.
Last week’s incident, which took place in full view of the community, has galvanised community members to take action.
“The size of weapons that these boys used was shocking. There were pangas, knives and other sharp instruments,” said the community leader.
While police said the motive for the violence was unknown, local ward councillor, Ayanda Tomose, said on the surface the fights between pupils appeared to be over “small things such as a hockey stick” but there was a deeper issue of gangs that schools and the community were grappling with.
“There’s an urgent need to protect teachers and learners. The fights between learners have been happening over a long period of time now and they have allegedly been linked to gangsterism,” said Tomose.
He said the latest incident left teachers feeling unsafe, powerless and despondent.
“Some were devastated. They broke down and cried in a meeting on Wednesday to look at possible solutions. Apparently hours before the fatal fight broke out they had pleaded with the boys to stop the fighting,“ said Tomose.
“Now they feel powerless. How can they instil values of discipline in an environment where they also feel under threat?” Tomose asked.
He described the situation at the school and in the community as “still tense”.
“We expect disciplinary action to be taken against those who were involved in the violence,” said Tomose.
MEC for Education, David Maynier, said counselling and psycho-social support has been provided to the school.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the incident. This is a tragic loss of a young life, and our hearts go out to their loved ones and the school,” said Maynier.
He said the incidents highlighted the need for a “collaborative approach” to fighting gangsterism within the community.
Tomose said efforts have been stepped up to establish a neighbourhood watch programme to provide safe escorting of pupils to the schools and on their way home.
Hammond said discussions on how the department could support the community strategy would also be discussed following the community meeting held on Wednesday.
Hammond added that the incidents were also “examples of the realities some of our communities face when plagued with gangsterism and violence”.
A parent of a nine-year-old girl at the school said she was still shocked and concerned about the incident.
“Children should not be exposed to such incidents. She did not witness the actual stabbing but she was traumatised by the fighting,” said the parent, who also asked to not be named.
She welcomed efforts to establish safety at the school.
This week, a video of another stabbing incident allegedly at Pelican High School also surfaced on social media.
Crime expert Dr Chris de Kock said reports of gangsters spreading to school was “no surprise”.
“Children are put under difficult positions to join the groupings for their protection as they cannot survive on their own. Gangsters use children. And what is sad is that children are also forced to use drugs,“ said De Kock.
He said crime stats showed that about half of murders were committed with sharp instruments such as pangas, axes and knives.
“It seems that even at a young age people want to inflict maximum violence. We are living in a violent society,” said De Kock.
Hammond said that while gangsterism and gang affiliation happened outside of school, sometimes it could affect the school community, as learners became involved in gangs.
“We need the assistance of SAPS, community policing forums, the justice system, community organisations and the parents themselves. We all have a role to play,” said Hammond.