An 18-year-old Pietermaritzburg pupil became the second schoolboy to die of stab wounds this month.
The Eastwood Secondary School pupil was stabbed to death on Tuesday outside the school when he apparently tried to stop a female student from being assaulted.
The female pupil had allegedly been stabbed in the buttocks on Monday with a pair of scissors. The murdered pupil was stabbed when he confronted fellow pupils over the attack on the girl.
School Governing Body chairperson Roy Ram described the victim, Hershel Fynn, as having been a bright young man, decent, kind and with a good future.
It emerged that Fynn had asked the girl’s assailants why she had been attacked during an end-of-matric bout of ‘bombing’ – a colloquial term for a tradition at some schools where matrics run amok to celebrate the end of their school career, often leading to violence and vandalism.
Ram said Monday’s violence was not the first incident of this nature. Two years ago, 40 pupils were arrested as a result of ‘bombing’ activities.
‘We are saying to students, community and parents, this must stop,’ Ram said. ‘We must vow that this is the last time. It is not a game. It is an act of senselessness. You cannot find joy in harassing other pupils.’
Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu called on the community to protect schools and expose criminals.
‘We must not allow our schools to become like this. It will take the collective effort of each parent and each community member.’
In an earlier incident in the Eastern Cape, two men and a teenager allegedly stabbed a school mate at a matric dance on 10 October. A fight allegedly broke out, which led to the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old pupil.
The IRR argues that parents, students and the community must act against violence in and around schools. The lead must, however, be taken by the provincial departments of education. MECs must make it absolutely clear that, in addition to criminal charges being laid, expulsion will occur. MECs and parents in particular must work on strategies. SGBs are responsible for taking disciplinary action.
As for ‘bombing’ rituals, all parties must ensure that such anti-social behaviour is forbidden and dealt with as harshly as assault and murder.
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