thuto tiro school stabbing

Photo: Panyaza Lesufi / Twitter

Thuto Tiro stabbing: School security questioned after Grade 9 pupil killed

The unfathomable has happened at Thuto Tiro Comprehensive School on Monday. The government has been called ignorant for “failing to protect” learners.

thuto tiro school stabbing

Photo: Panyaza Lesufi / Twitter

Anger has boiled over on Monday afternoon, after a Grade 9 learner at Thuto Tiro Comprehensive School in Sebokeng, Gauteng was stabbed to death by a classmate. It’s understood that a pair of scissors were used in the shocking attack, which forced Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi to urgently attend.

Thuto Tiro school stabbing – what we now about the victim

The Gauteng Department of Education issued a communication on their Twitter page earlier in the day, stating that emergency services were summoned to the school. Unfortunately, paramedics and ambulance crews were ultimately unsuccessful in saving the teen’s life.

Gauteng has been inundated with violent incidents at schools this year, and it’s not the first time a fatal stabbing between classmates has been reported. The brutal nature of this crime – committed with a weapon on school grounds – has rocked the local community.

Parents voice security concerns following horror scissor attack

Parents with kids at the school marched to the school gates earlier, demanding that Thuto Tiro release the students and send them home for the day. Many have been left fearing for their childrens’ well-being, and the atmosphere intensified as more mums and dads arrived at the premises.

Thuto Tiro school stabbing draws angered response from Cosas

The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) have also voiced their concers over school security. They issued a statement on the Thuto Tiro matter, demanding that the education department steps up its plans to increase the security detail in SA schools. The group believe they are being ignored, and used some pretty coarse language to get their point across:

“As Cosas new leadership we condemn such barbaric and bad behavior by learners. But this brings us back to where we have requested that security must be intensified at every school – something the government seem to be ignorant towards. We need proper and progressive security at all the schools.”

“We ask MEC Panyaza Lesufi to assist us in our demands regarding security situation at our schools. Our members and Constituency must remain calm. This tragedy is affecting all the people from our community – especially parents who send their kids off to learn, only [to receive them back home] as corpses.”

Cosas statement of the Thuto Tiro school stabbing