Overvaal pupils carry on unfazed, observer says

DESPITE the wild protests that took place at Hoërskool Overvaal in Vereeniging this week, learners at the institution seemed unfazed and continued studying, said a person close to the events and to what happened inside the school. Pierre Ronquest, of the New Found Generation, which places life coaches to guide learners at the school, said it was “business as usual” inside the building.

“The spirit is uplifted. It’s a great spirit in the school. The kids are enjoying the school at this moment. They are not afraid at all. They are not fearing anything,” said Ronquest after he prayed with parents of the learners at the school.

“We want to thank police for their presence here, and AfriForum members for their help as well. There is peace in the school I must say. They are going on with their classes like it’s a normal day.”

Several police officers stood guard at the main entrance of the school on Friday morning, as tensions continued to simmer over the “exclusion” of non-Afrikaans-speaking learners from the school.

A police ar moured personnel carrier was stationed at the closed entrance of the school, with armed police around it. A police water cannon was also parked nearby.

Armed private security personnel could also be seen inside the school’s premises while ambulances and paramedics were also at the scene.

A crowd of parents who have learners at the school congregated on one side, while members of the ANC, who have protested in support of the excluded children, were gathering on the other side.

On Thursday, a SAPS van stationed at the school was set alight, as community members continued to protest against the school’s “exclusion” of non-Afrikaans speaking learners.

The situation had been tense but calm on Thursday, when the marked SAPS vehicle was suddenly set on fire, apparently by a petrol bomb.

The fire was quickly extinguished before it could cause much damage.

Police officers, pointing pistols and shotguns, then arrested groups of Congress of South African Students (Cosas) members who had been protesting at the school. There were skirmishes between the police and the detained people who claimed they had had no involvement in the arson attack.

Several shots were fired outside the school this week and some of the protesters have been injured in skirmishes with police. – African News Agency (ANA)