Mamelodi police and the principal at Gatang Secondary School addressed pupils on Wednesday after violence erupted in the area following a schoolgirl’s rape on Monday.
”Mamelodi police leadership and the principal are talking to pupils about what happened yesterday [Tuesday]. Police strongly condemn these acts of violence and they are taken very seriously,” said police spokesperson Constable Brenda Kgafela.
”We’re now investigating malicious damage to property and public-violence charges. Should the children who carried out this violence be tracked down, they will definitely be arrested.”
Kgafela said the events leading to Tuesday’s rampage of stone-throwing and vandalism by students in Mamelodi Gardens began on Monday.
”A 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped on her way to school on Monday morning. Immediately on arriving at her school, she told the principal who went with her to the police station to report the incident and open a case,” said Kgafela.
”Contrary to a certain daily newspaper’s story, police do not have any record of people trying to call them to report the rape and being turned away because of a lack of vehicles and personnel.
”The girl immediately reported the incident herself to the principal when she got to school and both of them came to the station in person afterwards.”
Kgafela said it appears the principal told the school of the crime on Tuesday morning, at the start of the school day.
”At around midday on Tuesday police noticed a group of schoolchildren loitering in the area, while they were on routine patrols. This group started their violence and stone-throwing, as did another group in Mamelodi Gardens.”
The children were dispersed with rubber bullets and police received no reports of injuries to the children, she said.
Kgafela dismissed claims from the same daily newspaper that an alleged suspect was attacked by the children while he was being sheltered by nearby workers.
”The children’s violence took place a full day after the incident. How could they have even known then what the suspect is supposed to look like?
”There is no official report of a suspect being arrested, assaulted or found.” — Sapa