KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has reacted with shock and outrage at the killing of a Grade 12 learner, who was allegedly stabbed to death by a fellow Grade 10 learner at Mandlenkosi Secondary School, in Ntuzuma.
During a visit to the school this morning as part of the Premier’s Matric Exams Monitoring Programme, Premier Dube-Ncube comforted the distraught learners and teachers who are still trying to come to terms with what happened at the school premises.
The Premier said it was concerning that schools, which are centres of knowledge and learning, are now degenerating into dens of crime and this was a reflection of the violent society we live in.
“We came to the school, to give support and prayer to the teachers and the learners who are writing their examinations following a very unfortunate and sad incident where a learner lost his life at school. We are really saddened by this incident that happened at a time when learners are supposed to be focusing on their exams, especially the matric class of 2022. The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government sends its condolences to the parents of the deceased learner, the teachers and fellow learners who witnessed this tragic incident in the school premises,” said Premier Dube-Ncube.
Premier Dube-Ncube assured all stakeholders that the government will continue to offer much-needed support to the school and beef-up security.
“Psycho-social support is being offered to the learners and teachers at the school, but we will be approaching the Department of Health for additional Support so that more affected learners and teachers can receive counselling. We will also be reaching out to the rest of the community so that we preach to our children to value life. Violence is not the solution because any disagreements can be resolved through dialogue. We are approaching the police to ensure that there is visibility during exams and additional police will be deployed to KwaZulu-Natal during the festive season and beyond,” concluded Premier Dube-Ncube.
Ends
Issued by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government on behalf of Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube