Village school in grip of fear

Boy arrested and released into custody of his parents after incident.

- Masoka Dube

Teachers and pupils at a Mpumalanga school were left in fear after watching a 13-year-old boy allegedly stab a teacher and two fellow pupils last week. The boy who attends Masoyi Primary School in Swalala village, White River, was arrested and released on Saturday. A source within the Mpumalanga department of education told The Citizen that a few hours before allegedly attacking fellow pupils, the boy had allegedly stabbed a male teacher from another school in the same village. It was unknown how and why the boy had gone to Khulani Primary School, just a few kilometres from Masoyi. "The violence that we see happening in the schools in the area is gang-related. The information that we gathered is that the suspect waited for his fellow pupils outside the school. When they arrived he demanded that they give him their belts. "They refused and a fight ensued, resulting in the stabbing of the two victims," the source said. Mark Ngobeni, chair of the school governing body at Masoyi Primary School, confirmed that the fighting was gang-related. He was, however, reluctant to divulge more information, saying the matter was under investigation. Mpumalanga police