Send soldiers to schools?

This was the pleas that teachers, parents and experts made to Gauteng education authorities at a school safety summit, convened in April.

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Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona was quick to disprove the proposal, saying: “We cannot have a military area in our schools I mean it.”

Calls were made again after Daniel Bakwela (16), a Grade 10 pupil at Forest High School in Turffontein, got stabbed to death, allegedly by his schoolmate, Grade 11 pupil Mohamed Mwela (19).

Mwela now faces a murder charge and two counts of attempted murder after last Monday’s attack outside the school.

The school was closed for two days following the tragedy, amid allegations of gang and sexual violence occurring at the school.

Mwela, short and slightly built, cut a lonely figure in the dock when he appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday.

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Bakwela’s aunt, Olga Mbwimi, said her nephew was “too intelligent and he wanted to be a soccer player and a doctor”.

“He told his friends a few days before he was killed that they must carry his coffin at his funeral,” she said.

Back to the school safety summit, mentioned above, which was held just two months ago.

The Gauteng department of education organised the summit together with the provincial department of community safety in an offer to tackle gangsterism, bullying and violence in schools.

The conference followed a similar one held by the national department in January, which also sought ways to address school violence.

Mabona said that if they were to focus on increasing the budget that they have now and utilise that for security, they might not be in a position to manage our programmes and fulfil some of their obligations or their vision.

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We live in a violent society in which a staggering number of people commit murders and brutal crimes, along with acts of bullying. It is our job to educate kids about age- and gender-appropriate ways of dealing with their anger, insecurity and frustration.

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