High school pupils implicated in alleged hijacking
Two Woodlands High pupils appeared in the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday August 6 on hijacking charges, after allegedly hijacking an e-hailing cab vehicle outside their school on Friday August 2.
According to Constable Gille van Heerden from SAPS Cape Town Central’s vehicle crime investigation unit (VCIU), the two minor boys were detained at the Mitchell’s Plain police station juvenile cells after their arrest over the weekend.
Constable Navon van Houten, spokesperson for Lentegeur police, said the e-hailing cab driver was parking down the road from Woodlands High after making a delivery, when five pupils threatened and forced him out of the vehicle with a gun.
He said the driver managed to get away unharmed before the juvenile assailants sped off with the vehicle.
“While they (the pupils) tried to get away, one fell out of the vehicle and they left him behind. The community then attacked the one boy and tied him up. He was taken to hospital but was discharged with minor injuries and later arrested,” he said.
Constable Van Heerden said the second suspect was arrested in Samora Machel on Saturday after police found him in possession of the stolen vehicle. He said the police could not confirm the ages or whereabouts of the three suspects who got away, adding that the matter was still under investigation.
Unathi Booi, assistant director of Digital Media and Communication Support in the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), confirmed that an incident involving pupils took place at Woodlands High last Friday, but added that the matter is with SAPS.
Ms Booi said Woodlands High has reported issues relating to incidents of gangsterism and violence this year, and that Lentegeur police have visited the school in the past to address pupils on safety and good conduct.
“In general, the WCED conducts a number of programmes to identify and support youth at risk. The support teams can intervene on the learners’ side, seeking to identify problem behaviours early and make the necessary referrals for support, to avoid disruption and additional stress to teachers and other learners.
“Our broader positive behaviour programmes, encompass both learners and staff to increase resilience across the system,” she said.
Ms Booi added that two school resource officers (SROs) have been placed at the school by the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement department. SROs assist with pupil safety, crime prevention and by-law enforcement in the areas around schools.
Byron de Villiers of the Lentegeur Community Policing Forum, said residents in the area have been frustrated with incidents of crime for some time, and the alleged attack on one of the Woodlands High pupils, was a reflection of their frustration.
“There is a lot of anger on the part of residents. Woodlands is gang-ridden and people are frustrated over the fighting and drugs,” he said.
Meanwhile, three men were shot during an alleged gang-related incident on a field in Silvia Street, Lentegeur, at 9.30pm on Monday August 6.
According to Constable Van Houten, one of the men was taken to hospital by the community, but was declared dead on arrival. “No arrests have been made. The motive of the incident is still under investigation,” he said.
Anyone with information can contact Detective Gershwin Abrahams on 079 5844 205.