TEACHING at four Northern Province high schools was disrupted and one principal abducted in separate incidents of violence on Wednesday.
School children protested at three schools in the Lowveld area and at one in the Central area.
In the Lowveld, pupils at Magulasaba High School near Giyani allegedly held their principal hostage for five hours until police rescued him. Lowveld police spokesman Inspector Moatshe Ngoepe said on Thursday no damage was reported other than the principal’s chair being burnt in the schoolyard.
The pupils demanded a refund of their R10 school fee without giving reasons. The principal did not press charges.
Children are boycotting classes at Phusela High School in Lenyenye near Tzaneen with the encouragement of some teachers who are against the province’s redeployment programme.
Ngoepe said no damage was reported.
Keledi High School in Casteel, Bushbuckridge, was also disrupted when pupils demanded that over R8 000 be used for cultural day activities instead of on a photocopy machine, fax machine and telephone.
In the Central area, about 29 pupils from Nkgonyeletse High School near Jane Furse were arrested on Wednesday on charges of public violence and malicious damage to property after they allegedly smashed the windowpanes of four classrooms.
They want a teacher who took a raped schoolgirl to the police station to be dismissed.
The pupils are reportedly friends of the suspected rapist who is also a schoolboy. The suspect was arrested and is in the custody of his parents until his next court appearance.
His supporters are now accusing the teacher who helped the girl of molesting schoolgirls.
Education department spokesman Bernard Matsane confirmed the disruptions and said education officials were trying to solve the problems at the schools.
Police are monitoring the situation at all four schools to prevent further incidents of vandalism.
— African Eye News Service, June 2, 2000.