Paterson school shut after three pupils stabbed

Three sixteen-year-olds from Khayakhulu Secondary School in Paterson were stabbed in three separate fights in incidents that are all thought to be linked.

While details remain sketchy, police have confirmed that a 20-year-old, who is not a pupil at the school, was arrested on Wednesday morning.

The series of stabbings started at 9am on Friday.

Parents shut down the school on Wednesday morning when about 600 people, including pupils, teachers and parents, took to the streets in protest about the lack of security provided by the department of education.

The latest stabbing happened at 11am on Monday, when a 16-year-old pupil was chased around the school premises and stabbed 19 times.

None of the pupils were seriously injured and two of them did not receive medical treatment.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said the first stabbing happened in Old Grahamstown Road near the Paterson school.

“One of the learners was walking in the street when he was jumped by a group of three or four other learners.

“They assaulted him and also stabbed him.

“The teenager then ran to a relative’s house and told him about the attack.

“The relative went to the group [who had attacked the boy] and another fight erupted, resulting in another 16-yearold learner being stabbed.”

Beetge said none of the stabbing injuries were considered critical.

On Monday at about 11am, after a case was opened by one of the teenagers, a friend of one of the boys went to the school to confront a group of pupils during break time.

“The group was then chased around the school, with some of the children running into the classrooms.

“The attacker eventually stabbed a teenager in the passage stairway and then dragged him down stairs where he was assaulted and stabbed multiple times,” Beetge said.

Wednesday morning’s arrest was linked to the Monday morning stabbing, he said.

Asked about the motive for the attacks, Beetge said that it was unknown and subject to investigation.

Parents at the school said that were outraged.

“We were called on Tuesday by the teachers who told us that they are worried for their safety as well as our children.

“We are all outraged and agreed that we will shut the school down until we get some answers and some temporary security at the school.

“Our children are even too scared to go back,” a parent, who declined to be named, said.

“We are hoping that after the meeting there will be some action and some answers so school can go back to normal.”

Asked about the reasons for the spate of stabbings, she said it was believed to be linked to gangsters.

“Some say it is a fight that happened outside school and has now spilled over into the school, while others say it is gangsters,” she said.

Asked about drugs at the school, the parent said drugs were present but she was unsure if that was the reason for the fight.

The Provincial Organised Crime Unit, which investigates gang-related crimes, said two years ago it had noticed gangsters moving into small towns bordering Port Elizabeth.

On Wednesday, it confirmed that gangsters were known to be operating in the Paterson area.

Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said a meeting with the community, police and various other stakeholders had been arranged for Thursday morning.

“We are going to discuss all these issues at the meeting and find a way forward.

“We want the community to get involved so that we can address these issues,” he said.

Asked about gangsterism at the school, Mtima said that it would be discussed at the meeting.

“One thing we do know, once gangsters move into a community they take over.

“They take over everything, from schools to shopping centres. They run the community.”