Fatal stabbing of learner raises safety crisis at township schools

A GRADE 11 boy learner, Lethabo Matula from Lesedi Secondary School in Lethabong, an informal settlement in Donkerhoek, Pretoria East, was allegedly stabbed to death by a Grade 12 learner on Tuesday, raising concerns about learner safety in schools.

- RAPULA MOATSHE

According to preliminary reports from the Gauteng Education Department, the suspect had not attended school that day, but arrived after school hours, just as learners were boarding scholar transports, and carried out the attack outside the school yard.

The victim was rushed to the Lethabong Healthcare Clinic, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The department reported that law-enforcement authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

In the wake of the tragic incident, the Soil of Africa civic movement has sounded the alarm about the growing crisis of violence in township schools, particularly in Mamelodi.