Buziwe Nocuze
A years-long rivalry between the schoolboys from villages within Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape has claimed another life.
Khanya Yelani, a Grade 8 learner at Arthur Mfebe Senior Secondary School in KwaManzi, was stabbed and killed by a group of boys at the school on Tuesday, 16 August.
Teenage boys from the villages of Oathay, St Mark’s, Khayamandi, KwaManzi and Mncuncuzo have been warring for four years.
Khanya, 16, grew up in Oathay and was allegedly attacked by a group of boys from St Mark’s.
His sister Zina Yelani, 27, told Scrolla.Africa that she believes he was murdered by older boys who no longer attend the school.
She said the younger children are paying the price, but she never thought her brother would become a victim.
“When we received the news we thought it was a joke,” she said.
In January, Scrolla.Africa reported that the conflict had become so serious that 22 boys had not set foot in school for two years for fear of their lives.
In 2020, a 16-year-old boy from Khayamandi allegedly killed another boy from Mncuncuzo.
Two years later, a 17-year-old boy was arrested in January after allegedly killing a fellow learner from Khayamandi. The suspect’s homestead was burnt down as an act of revenge.
Community leaders from both villages have held meetings to try and put an end to the adolescents’ fighting, but it is still continuing.
Now, Khanya’s death has rejuvenated calls from parents to close down the school until a permanent solution is found.
“Now that Khanya has been killed, obviously the boys from his village will want revenge. This will never end. Soon some kids will be forced to leave school for good. We have seen it happening before,” one parent told Scrolla.Africa.
Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade confirmed that Khanya was killed over inter-village conflicts.
“Learners killed the boy in full view of educators and children and other community members,” said Gade.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said a learner sustained serious injuries during the incident and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died.
“Cases of murder and attempted murder have been opened for investigation,” he said.
Image source:Supplied
