Africa-Press – South-Africa. Parents of Tharabollo Secondary School pupils looked on in horror as a man pulled out a gun in the middle of anti-crime protest outside the Vereeniging school on Monday morning.
But parents quickly intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further.
The parents had gathered outside the school to protest against crime after Grade 10 pupil, Thabo Xaba, 20, was stabbed to death on Friday.
As they protested, another group of parents arrived to make sure that the demonstration did not disrupt school activities.
As tensions between them rose, one woman hurled insults at some of the parents, prompting a man to approach her and remove a garden rake she had in her possession.
She continued with the insults, prompting him to slap her before pulling out a gun.
But other parents stepped in to try and calm them down.
The man eventually got into a car and drove off.
One parent, Mary Bodibe, told News24 she wasn’t in favour of teaching and learning disruptions, but added that she feared for the safety of her Grade 10 son.
She said:
Community patrollers could be seen searching pupils’ bags as they entered the school.
They recovered knives, dagga, and other weapons from some of the pupils.
“We have been here since 07:00. Pupils arrived late. We searched and recovered knives, dagga, and other weapons from their bags. This school needs urgent intervention. We don’t want to see more blood spilt,” patroller Sithembiso Dlamini said.
According to an eyewitness, Xaba was stabbed three times outside the school.
The witness, a girl who attends the school, said she and Xaba were walking home when a fellow pupil and boys who did not attend the school attacked him.
“He was cornered by three boys. They claimed Xaba took earrings from one of the [assailants] earlier in the week,” the girl said.
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