Gang violence escalates at Indwe

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Twice in three days, learners at the Indwe Secondary School ended up in hospital after stabbing incidents at the school.

On Wednesday morning an 18-year old Grade 11 learner was taken to the provincial hospital for treatment of a knife wound to his back.

He was discharged after treatment and went directly to the KwaNonqaba Police to lay charges against a 16-year old Grade 9 learner. The cause of the stabbing is being investigated. According to police spokesperson Sgt Kapp, the perpetrator was released into the custody of his mother.

"Police have been deployed to the school and is keeping a high presence. A community meeting was arranged at the request of the school for Thursday."

According to bystanders, the police did a body search of the male learners as they entered the school premises. However, the female learners were not searched. "The boys handed the girls the knives when they saw the police. The girls carried the knives into the school yard."

Spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department, Jessica Shelver, confirmed that district officials visited the school following the incident and indications are that the ongoing fights at the school are as a result of gang factions and issues that stem from the community.

Monday, 10 June
On Monday at approximately 11:00, just as learners were about to write their exam, a fight broke out in the school yard at the Indwe Secondary School. The school reports that a group of boys, some of whom were dressed in civilian clothes, were fighting and had brought weapons onto the school premises.

The KwaNonqaba Police were contacted to intervene. A Grade 9, 15-year-old learner was injured during the fight and was rushed to the hospital.

Western Cape Health spokesperson Nadia Ferreira confirmed that the learner, who suffered a knife wound to the lower back, was admitted to the Mossel Bay Provincial hospital. He is in a stable condition.

"The school is currently functioning normally and exams have gone ahead. The police were at the school on Tuesday morning to conduct a search and seizure operation," Shelver confirmed on Tuesday, just prior to the incident on Wednesday.

She said the school believes that this incident is gang-related and stems from the community.

Other recent incidents
In April two learners, a Grade 8 and a 9 learner, were attacked and stabbed by community members outside the school premises. In this case the principal reportedly also believes that the affected learners are affiliated with gangs.

This year, the school has reported two assaults, two stabbings and an incident of burglary and vandalism.

The Western Cape Education Department's (WCED) Safe Schools field worker has reported that he has asked for additional support from the police and requested that they increase police visibility in the area.

Although the majority of incidents take place off school premises and within the affected community, gang-related violence can spill over into schools when learners are directly involved.

"We are concerned for the safety of learners and educators when there are flare-ups in the community and the possibility of weapons being carried into schools. Safe and secure learning environments are essential if we are to ensure that quality education is delivered. It is imperative that our schools remain weapon and drug free," Shelver stressed.

She said the Safe Schools directorate and the district are working on additional intervention programmes to implement in an effort to deal with the gangsterism at school level.

"School safety remains an ongoing challenge. Gang violence has a significant impact on our schools. Socio-economic challenges in various communities also impact our schools. Burglary and vandalism remain a constant challenge and result often in a loss of teaching and learning time, and increase the costs to replace or fix stolen or damaged property or goods," said Shelver.

"We are reliant on the police to ensure community stability and safety around our schools. Unfortunately, the police are severely under-resourced in the Western Cape. Therefore, the visibility of SAPS, as well as response times, is inadequate. The only solution to ongoing gang violence would be to increase the SAPS presence. The reality is that without more police presence, gang violence cannot be brought under control," Shelver added.

She said the provincial government is appreciative of the work that the police do.

"Due to severe under-resourcing, the SAPS officers that we do have put their own lives at risk every day, as without support and backup they become targets themselves."

Perceptions
Another challenge, Shelver said, is the perception that the WCED is responsible for safety. "We acknowledge our role in safeguarding our schools, but we are not law enforcement. Schools are required to have safety plans in place, and certain security infrastructure is provided, however, we have to have support from SAPS. Communities are also an important partner in preventing and reporting crime.

Unfortunately, in many cases, the community is aware of who the perpetrators are and are too afraid to come forward with information. We often appeal to communities to report any suspicious behaviour to Safe Schools or the police."

On Wednesday, police were again called to the Indwe Secondary School after another stabbing incident, the second in three days at the school.