Matrics write with police guard

MATRIC pupils at a rural KwaZulu-Natal school are writing their exams under police guard due to faction fighting which has resulted in at least one of the pupils being admitted to hospital after a brutal assault.

A matric pupil at Mbuyiselo High School‚ in the Eziyendane area near Mandini on the north coast‚ was ambushed on Saturday and severely assaulted by pupils from a rival village.

KwaZulu-Natal education officials were dispatched to the school by provincial Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana on Wednesday to establish the source of the problem and ensure that pupils who were writing exams were protected.

The matrics are now writing under police guard, and exams for other grades have been postponed.

The on-and-off faction fighting between two villages in the area is said to have started in 2015.

Pupils claim the fights are sparked by stick-fighting during traditional ceremonies, with the losers then taking the fights to school.