Pretoria - Western Cape MEC for Education Donald Grant has appealed to the public to become active citizens in the fight against crime and violence in their communities and schools.
Grant was speaking on Thursday during his visit at Masibambisane Secondary School, where a 16-year-old pupil was stabbed in the chest by a fellow pupil on Wednesday afternoon. The incident happened outside the school premises after school hours.
The weapon used in the stabbing had been hidden at a nearby clinic and had not been taken into the school that day.
Grant said that while the department is doing all it can to prevent weapons from entering school premises, it cannot control what is happening outside the school gate.
"We all share the responsibility for teaching our children to resolve conflict fairly and peacefully," Grant said.
According to the department, various interventions by the school, boys' parents and the department had been made to resolve the ongoing conflict and it was believed that progress had been made when the two learners had agreed to move on.
Grant called on communities, police and all other role players to assist the department in its efforts to ensure that incidences like this do not happen again.
He vowed that the department will continue to ensure the safety of learners within the school premises.
"We will continue to promote the use of the hand held metal detectors at schools, as well as increase the number of search and seizure operations conducted by the SAPS.
"We will persist until all our schools are weapons and drug free zones," he said.
