Pupil beaten, necklaced by enraged mob at school Nationalising Reserve Bank ‘not a good idea’
ANGERED by the rise of gangsterism in Daveyton, some residents in the township east of Joburg necklaced an alleged member of a gang terrorising the community.
On Wednesday, an enraged mob stormed the Unity Secondary School, disrupting classes as they searched for a pupil suspected of being part of the gang.
“They dragged the suspected gang member into the school yard and forced him to identify a pupil whom they believe is part of the group,” said Fanele Sonti, a community member who witnessed the incident.
When the alleged gangster failed to find the learner, he tried to escape, but was apprehended by the community and severely beaten in full view of students and teachers.
Sonti said the boy was then dragged to an open field about 500 metres from the school and necklaced.
He suffered severe burns and is recovering in hospital.
Sonti said the gang had been a nuisance for almost two years.
“People are tired. They have lost confidence in the police. We can’t walk in the streets freely any more. The boys own the streets.”
Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi yesterday visited the school, flanked by MEC for Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-malobane.
Lesufi appealed for restraint and called on members of the community to refrain from disrupting schooling and taking the law into their hands. “Schools are centres of teaching and learning. They should be treated as such,” he said.
Unity Secondary was one of the best performing schools in Gauteng and should not be surrendered to criminals.
“This is our crème de la crème. The community prefers this school. We can’t let criminals take over. If this school does not perform well, our overall performance will be affected.”
Lesufi urged the community to take ownership of the school to ensure that it “remained at its best”.
He said the department would rather spend its budget on hiring more teachers and improving the learning conditions instead of hiring armed security guards.
“We need to ensure our schools are conducive for safer learning.
“I believe the law enforcement agencies will move with speed to arrest perpetrators.”
He added that the department would provide counselling for teachers and pupils.
Nkosi-malobane said three people involved in the incident were arrested, while six more are still at large. She said six boys were wrongfully linked to the gang while they were innocent. The incident, she said, was prompted by the rape of a 13-year-old girl.
Three years ago the community of Etwatwa, also in Ekurhuleni, established a vigilante group to hunt down members of the OVL gang that was committing horrendous crimes, including rape and murder. ECONOMISTS have slammed the introduction of the bill before Parliament by the Economic Freedom Fighters which seeks to nationalise the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb).
EFF leader Julius Malema introduced the South African Reserve Bank Amendment Bill on Thursday, which seeks to make the state the sole holder of the shares in the bank and to provide for the appointment of certain board directors by the finance minister.
Economist Mike Schüssler said nationalising the country’s central bank would not benefit the country, but instead increase state expenses.
“It is not a good idea to nationalise the Reserve Bank. Government will have to spend more money to take out the private shareholders.
“The fact of the matter is that this is not going to change anything when it comes to policy because government appoints all the people who do policy work, and appoints all the members of the monetary policy committee,” said Schüssler.
In its quest for nationalisation of the central bank, the EFF is backed by the ANC which resolved at its 2017 December conference to nationalise the bank.
In March, the ANC withdrew its initial motion to debate the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank, saying it needed more time to consult on the matter within its structures and with key stakeholders.
Head of the Presidency, Zizi Kodwa, told Independent Media that the resolution still stands.
Schüssler said the move was nothing but an election tactic by the EFF, which could be damaging to the country.
“It is not a worthwhile exercise at all. I think South Africa’s economy will do better in the current situation than the one they’re trying to create.
“This move by the EFF is an election tactic. It will not benefit the people of South Africa in any way. It runs the risk of being harmful. There is no positive interest that can be derived from nationalising the Reserve Bank,” said Schüssler.
However, EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu said the country would gain “economic sovereignty” by nationalising the Reserve Bank.
“This nationalisation will guarantee the economic sovereignty of South Africa. Currently the Reserve Bank has a lot of foreign shareholders.
“The nationalisation of the Reserve Bank doesn’t mean that we are going to interfere with its relative autonomy. We are not going to alter the autonomy of the bank but remove private shareholders,” said Shivambu.
He slammed critics who said the move could have a negative impact on investor confidence.
“Every time there has to be a change in the country, the so-called economists raise the issue of investors’ confidence. There is no investment in South Africa now. Investment must come from the state in terms of directing to important areas,” said Shivambu.
DA MP and the party’s head of policy, Gwen Ngwenya, said the party would not support the EFF and the ANC in their quest for a state-owned central bank.
She accused the EFF of crafting a route for “undue state influence and corruption”.
“Julius Malema and the EFF are playing Russian roulette with the economic prospects of the country. At the time when investors seek certainty, they introduce a giant question mark over South Africa’s monetary independence, and it is a dangerous game,” said Ngwenya.