The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union said violence at schools generally was concerning. “We are increasingly worried about the safety of teachers at schools because of the violence that the learners subject them to‚” said Gauteng Sadtu secretary Tshidiso Ledimo.
He said the union had been raising questions around the safety of teachers. “This is of major concern to us. It has to do with learner behaviour because of the socio-economic environment.”
It is not the first time that the school has been embroiled in controversy this year.
A brawl between pupils was captured on a video in March‚ when some teachers engaged in a dispute with the school left learners unsupervised. In the video‚ a learner kicked and repeatedly pummelled another on the head‚ which started bleeding.
The Citizen reported in February how frustrated learners took to the streets in protest against the absence of teachers at the school. The teachers allegedly had not been in their classrooms after allegations of racism between coloured and black staff members.
In the same month‚ IOL reported that a pupil attacked the deputy principal with a chair‚ table and a brick. The pupil had been reprimanded for wearing earrings.
Former teacher Zithobile Mkhize-Ngidi‚ who did her PhD on violence at schools‚ found that many parents neglected their children due to the pressures of their jobs.