Cape Town has been rocked by reports of schoolboys fighting over girls, and using dangerous weapons.
The ongoing violent fights at Ikamvalethu Secondary School and Isilimela Comprehensive School, in Langa township, continue to affect learners from the Newflats and Zone 20 communities.
One of the boys said the fight started after they found out that the other group of boys were after their girlfriends. He said they felt disrespected.
Bandile Gcuwa, the chairperson of Langa Safety Patrol, said they recently met with the boys to discuss the dangers of fighting.
“They are too young to fight over girls and ruin their lives because in these fights they seriously injure each other and end up getting locked away,” Gcuwa said.
Resident Masivuye Galada said she was worried the fighting would escalate. She urged the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Education Department to intervene.
“Some of these boys attend the same school. We have seen this before. They are going to fight in these two schools. I hope they listened to the patrollers and stopped fighting,” he said.
SAPS spokesperson Frederick Van Wyk said that school searches were carried out on a weekly or monthly basis and that the police were yet to be informed of any incidents at the schools.
The Western Cape Department of Education’s spokesperson, Unathi Booi, said they had not received any reports from either school of learners fighting or possessing weapons.
Booi added that schools could request searches and seizure operations from SAPS if there was reasonable suspicion that learners might be carrying dangerous weapons or illegal drugs.
“There are clear guidelines on how searches should be conducted to protect the rights and dignity of learners,” Booi said.
Pictured above: Langa patrol found dangerous weapons from boys attending Langa schools, the boys fought over girls.
Image source: Supplied
