Another incident at Klapmuts High School on Thurday 27 March required police intervention after two learners allegedly engaged in a dispute over a game being played on the school premises.
The altercation, however, was superficial and did not involve serious physical contact.
According to police spokesperson Sergeant Madilyn Dombas, Klapmuts High has recently been under the spotlight after two stabbing incidents involving learners occurred. One was in 2024, when a learner was stabbed in the back and the other recently, on Tuesday 25 February, when a Grade 10 learner apparently stabbed a peer.
The recent incident prompted a public meeting at the school, which was organised by the school-governing body. Local police officials were also invited to the meeting, which saw numerous parents voicing their concerns and fears around their children’s safety.
“On [27 March] the Klapmuts police received a telephonic complaint regarding a fight at Klapmuts High,” Dombas related.
“On the police officers’ arrival at the school, a teacher said the fight arose from a disagreement over turn taking while playing games on the school premises. It was one group’s designated turn, but another group also attempted to play, leading to the conflict. The learners involved are from different grades. This incident is unrelated to the previous one that occurred in February and was solely a physical altercation, not a stabbing.”
Kerry Mauchline, a spokesperson for the provincial education department, confirmed they are aware of the incident.
“No stabbing incident occurred at Klapmuts High on 27 March,” she said. “A scuffle among learners during a soccer game was promptly addressed by the principal and staff. However, the situation soon escalated when parents and community members scaled the school fence, causing chaos and requiring police intervention [after which the Klapmuts police] escorted the community members from the school.”
Since these incidents the department has provided support to the school, including:
• support from the Inclusive and Specialised Education Support (ISLES) team for learners and staff;
• safety risk assessments and assistance from the Safe Schools subcomponent; and
• controlled access points, morning searches for dangerous weapons, and improved access control measures.
