Mr Zilindele Yelani cries non-stop for his slain 16-year-old grandson Khanya Yelani who was butchered to death at Arthur Mfebe S.S.S, Cofimvaba on Tuesday the 16th of August.
Mr Yelani was called by two community members to report a fight between a young boy that took place at school in the morning, when he got to the scene, the boy was butchered to death, lying against the school’s fencing system. It is reported that a group of community boys accessed the schoolyard after threatening the security guard by letting him know that they know his identity. They later went for Khanya and his friend who is still in the intensive care unit. The group that allegedly killed the boy, are students of the very same school but had no uniform on during the attack.
“There was a report that a fight broke out a day before and police were called on to dismantle it. The following day, my grandson says his goodbye to me and hops onto the school bus not knowing that it was his final goodbye. When I got to the school, he was lying against the fence, I could see it was him when I rolled him over even though his condition was too bad. My grandson wanted to be a pilot and was very talented at constructing wire cars and fixing old bicycles. He was a very humble soul, and the incident identifies nothing with his behaviour as we know him. This is a sudden incident; times are hard, and I would be very glad if the government decided to help us with the preparations for his final send-off”.
A fellow schoolmate, whom we’re going to name Ms X to protect their identity explained the deceased as a humble soul who liked to make jokes, and everyone felt his presence. Ms X said that their souls as students have been slain too.
“Seeing someone being butchered to death in front of you is unlike any other experience. The attackers got to school without uniforms and attacked the first boy whose name is held for his safety, who managed to run away after sustaining injuries. They then went for the deceased and dragged him out of the car, attacked and killed him on the spot. Everyone was just watching because no one could have done anything against their armoury. They had on spears and a folk spade. We have no idea what the fight was about as fellow students. This school has lost two other kids this June, a matriculant and a grade eighter”.
Ms X continued to say that they are afraid as students now because they go to school with the alleged attackers and the police have only one person in custody for the incident.
The MEC of ECDoE Mr Fundile Gade said that the children and the teachers alike, must be traumatised as they experienced the live occurrence of the incident, and this might create a psychosocial disorder that can create in teaching and learning.
“My view is, we need a comprehensive holistic solution. We must take this matter as a broad mandate to expand a solution and bring in tribal authorities, the local municipality, the community, social development and the Department of Education as well. If we look at the incident as being narrated, the slain boy’s isolation has long been planned and by recognising this, we can find out the reason behind this madness”.
The MEC went on to say the attackers had no uniform on, a disguised image according to his opinion carrying Spears, Knobkieries, and Machetes and slew him to death. He added that this incident didn’t have to happen and that no one has a right whatsoever to access the school and take a life. Earlier this year, another two children were killed in the same school, and this is being investigated in more depth. one of them being, a grade 12 student who was killed in June 2022 at the community.
Mr Gade acknowledged when asked about the issue of discontented minds about the hiring of the school’s headmaster, quoting that the school’s governing boy itself is partly against the principal and they questioned the recruitment policy after the attack. He also confirmed the adoption of new safety measures at schools such as the fencing of government schools. He also urged the communities to help with this problem because the country cannot have a safe school in an unsafe environment.
