Deadly Matric Rage
Police investigating fatal argument at Pens Down Festival in KZN
They organised this
function so the school wasn’t aware
FOR THE thousands of matric revellers who descended on Durban at the weekend, it was an incident-free celebration to mark the end of their school careers – but for three matric pupils in Richards Bay, a fight at a beach party saw their young lives cut short.
The boys – believed to be from Hluma High, Langalibomvu High and Ntongande High schools – were at a Pens Down Festival on Saturday night, according to information from the KwaZulu-Natal Education Department.
Their names are known to The Star’s sister paper, The Mercury, but by yesterday afternoon, police said their next of kin had not yet been informed.
Police spokesman Jay Naicker said they were at Alkantstrand in Richards Bay in the early hours of the morning when they became embroiled in an argument and sustained fatal stab wounds. Richards Bay police are investigating three counts of murder.
A teacher of one of the boys said the school had had to make the dreaded phone call to the boy’s father.
The teacher said that other pupils had informed him of the boy’s death.
“The pupils organised this function for themselves, so the school was not aware. He was a brilliant pupil who was doing physical sciences, and I’m sure he would have passed matric,” the teacher said.
Meanwhile, the official Matric Rage launch party took place on Saturday night at Kings Park Stadium for the first time. The Sound Factory was moved from Ballito because of lack of open space due to roadworks.
Rage organiser William John McIntyre said he was happy with the venue and spreading the parties along the coast.
“However, next year we would like to work with the municipality to extend the midnight cut-off time.
“At that time, the matrics still have a few more hours of partying in them and we would like to run them tired within a venue that we have control over,” said McIntyre.
More than 6 500 people attended the party and there was strict security control and access.
On the way out of the venue, barricades “herded” partygoers to dedicated Rage shuttles that took them home or to the next destination.
About 70 percent of the passports (tickets that allow the matrics into the various parties over 11 days) sold were to matrics from Joburg.
Bryanston High School pupils Toni Strydom and Robyn Smith said they felt safe.
“I like how it is spread out this year, you get to meet more people,” said Strydom.
“The transport system is so reasonable and runs on time,” said Smith.
Richard Louw from Crisis Medical said there were no major incidents.
“We had one person come in feeling a bit nauseous, but that was all,” said Louw.
The matric exams officially ended on Friday.
For most matrics, however, school was out last Tuesday, following English paper III.