Teachers should be empowered through self-defence lessons and be permitted to use pepper sprays when their lives and those of pupils are in danger.
This is the call made on Friday by South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) North West provincial chairperson‚ Paul Sebegoe.
This follows three cases of violence at schools in recent days‚ in particular the killing of a mathematics teacher‚ Gadimang Costa Mokolobate‚ 24‚ who was stabbed to death inside a classroom by a pupil‚ aged 17‚ near Zeerust.
The civic organisation called on authorities to protect educators against escalating levels of violence in schools.
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible this ghastly and heinous crime and urge education authorities to summarily dismiss the learner in question while the law takes its course to send an unequivocal message that the bringining of weapons on school premises as well as such acts of violence are unacceptable in our schooling system.”