A group of men entered a school in Katlehong and removed two pupils by force while threatening staff with violence.
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with a dramatic incident filmed at a school in Katlehong on Tuesday.
Men entered Matsediso Primary School and removed two children by force while wielding a panga and an automatic rifle.
Paseka ‘Pastor Mboro’ Motsoeneng was seen swinging a panga wildly in the direction of staff, as the men exited the school with two children believed to be Mboro’s grandchildren.
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Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni confirmed to 702 that Mboro and the suspects were being held in custody and will appear in court soon.
Mthombeni said the weapons seen in the widely-circulated video had been confiscated and that the suspects would face charges of assault and intimidation, malicious damage to property charges.
Matter of national importance
The incident is believed to have stemmed from a custody battle between the families of the two children removed from the school.
Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube urged Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu to have the matter investigated urgently.
“This is the kind of violence that should be condemned and prevented in our schools,” said Gwarube.
“Educators and learners cannot be expected to perform optimally when they are subjected to the risk of such senseless violence at any moment,” she added.
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The minister expressed the importance of ensuring school safety and the collective role that all relevant departments need to play.
“Violence in schools is an issue that should concern all of us in South Africa.
“As for the people who perpetrate violence against our learners and educators – we should not rest until they have been apprehended and held accountable for their crimes,” she concluded.
The Gauteng Department of Education said its psycho-social support unit will be deployed for the affected teachers and pupils to help them cope with the trauma resulting from this incident.
The Citizen
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