DANGEROUS MINDS
COPS are investigating violent clashes between laaities at an Athlone school amid concerns that youngsters are fighting over drug turf on the school grounds.
Panic spread across Bridgetown on Friday morning as frantic parents arrived at the school amid claims that learners at Bridgetown High School were seen with weapons and gooing klippe.
Police and Law Enforcement officers were called to the school as anxious parents stood outside the school gates hoping to find out if their children were safe.
According to a 49-year-old mom, who asked not to be named, the fights reached boiling point on Friday.
She says: “The problem started years ago and in the last week is when it really went bos.
“The problem is that the boys from Bridgetown and Silvertown have formed a little gang they call Only The Brave.
“For years they have been selling dagga on the school [grounds] and recently they started selling cocaine and we have reported this over and over.
“The conflict comes in with black boys who are also selling dagga and now they are fighting over drug turf and there is also racial tensions.”
The worried mom said police were called into the school on Friday and shots were fired to disperse crowds as the two crowds were hurled stones at mekaar in a battle sparked by a fight at a shopping mall earlier in the week.
She adds: “I don’t allow my daughter to take a phone to school and I was at home that day.
“We heard there was trouble and the children were attacking each other with stones.
“I heard shots going off and I was frantically looking for my child. That’s when I saw Athlone SAPS trying to bring calm and the shots were fired to disperse the crowds.
“Since the incident on Friday, we have not heard anything from the school and I won’t be sending my child to school until it’s safe.”
While the school is yet to inform parents of any disciplinary and criminal cases after the incident, the Western Cape Education Department confirms police were called to the school to break up the fight.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says: “A fight did break out at the school on Friday afternoon.
“Allegations of a learner being stabbed though are false. This follows another incident between learners outside a shopping mall earlier in the week. The police were called in and learners were subsequently dismissed.
“The school will investigate in terms of its disciplinary procedures. The root causes of this unrest will also need to be addressed.”
According to police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi, a parent of one of the learners also turned to violence as the chaos continued after the cops intervened.
Swartbooi adds: “The circumstances surrounding this incident are now under investigation.
“According to reports the complainant alleges that he was assaulted by the father of his fellow classmate on Friday at a local institute of learning in Bridgetown. Athlone police are investigating a case of assault common.”