Drowned pupils’ legacy in tatters
ILL-DISCIPLINE is ravaging a school where four pupils once died at the hands of the then Ciskei government.
Speaking at Nompendulo High School in Zwelitsha where Mlandeli Bota, Ntombekhaya Magoxo, Noxolo Pango and Vuyani Patsa died 30 years ago in a protest for better education, principal Sipho Makwethu yesterday prayed the deaths were not in vain.
The four pupils drowned in the Buffalo River while being chased by police.
Makwethu said while the youth of 1985 fought for better education, pupils of today refused to do homework or listen to instructions and arrived at school late.
Their excuse was that they were using their democratic right to choose.
“They [youth of 1985] sacrificed their lives to create opportunities for you.
“You should use those opportunities to excel. You no longer pay school fees. You receive food and no longer have to buy books. What went wrong?” Makwethu asked.
He used yesterday’s commemoration of the tragedy to paint a picture of a school deteriorating due to the illdiscipline of current pupils.
Teacher Sangweni Dick echoed the principal’s sentiments, saying the school needed to restore discipline.
He said the number of pupils at the school was manageable but resources were needed. The school currently has 200 pupils.
Dick said the learner representative council (LRC) no longer bothered with what was happening at the school.
“As Cosas [Congress of South African Students], we failed to lay a foundation.
“Where is Cosas today? The LRC now is a committee that is there to organise bashes.”
Former pupil Jerry Ndudula, now is an official in the department of sports, recreation, arts and culture (Dsrac), was among the protesting pupils in 1985.
Ndudula said he was disappointed to see some pupils leaving the school when he was on his way to the commemoration.
“Let’s not play with this freedom. It was gained through bloodshed. If this continues, I’m afraid three years down the line this school will be closed.”
Ndudula said there were over 1 000 pupils at the school back then. Overcrowding, unaffordable school fees and corporal punishment were among their grievances.
He relived the events of that day and described how police rounded up pupils, beating them, while others were thrown in the back of vans and sent to the police station.