11 Boys Detained Over Teacher Assault
Pini Bothoko | Monday September 14, 2020 16:47
Some students were filmed assaulting a teacher, which has sparked countrywide outrage.
It, however, started earlier on Tuesday last week when two male students from Thamaga allegedly started a fight with another student. The brawl eventually involved a number of students and the police were called in.
Moshupa Police Station commander, Superintendent David Ramoseki told The Monitor, of his utter shock at what transpired at the school.
He said on Tuesday morning around 10:30am they received a report from the school management that male students were fighting and rushed to the school.
“On arrival at the scene, the police took a long time to identify the suspects because students were all over the school even though lessons were ongoing.
The police were told that the fight between the lads started after a notorious boy from Thamaga allegedly snatched another male student’s hat that had a memory stick inside a pocket. After locating the suspect, the police tried to arrest him but the young man fled the scene,” Ramoseki said.
Ramoseki, said the suspect was in the company of another male student who also resisted arrest, as he was wanted for questioning.
Ramoseki, however, said they eventually managed to arrest the suspect.
He said when they returned to the police station, there was another report from the school management that students were assaulting a teaching and other support staff members.
“The second incident reportedly started after some students accused a certain teacher of being a snitch and to have reported their friends to the police.
They allegedly assaulted the teacher with a number of male students throwing stones at the school’s administration block as teachers ran for their lives.
Due to the attack, the said teacher sustained injuries on the neck and another teacher sustained minor injuries on the leg,” he said.
Ramoseki said the school’s security guard was also injured and was treated for minor injuries after the rampaging learners assaulted him.
He said the crazed students also damaged a Mercedes Benz vehicle belonging to one of the teachers.
“In the end, police arrested 10 more boys aged between 17 and 18 years from Moshupa and Thamaga villages.
They were arraigned before Kanye Magistrate Court on Friday, facing six counts of disorderly conduct.
The boys were remanded in custody and are currently at Moshupa Boys’ Prison,” Ramoreki said.
Ramoseki said on the first count, the boys face a charge of common nuisance and are liable to imprisonment of not more than a year if found guilty while on the second count they were charged with stealing from a person and liable to imprisonment of not more than 10 years, if found guilty.
On the third, forth and firth counts the boys were charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm whilst the sixth count was malicious damage to property.