Police probe suspected abortion at Goodhope Senior
Tumelo Mouwane | Thursday November 2, 2017 11:44
The incident reportedly happened in the wee hours of Monday morning, when the student was found fighting for her life at the boarding facility, having given birth under mysterious circumstances. Goodhope police station commander, Superintendent Mogomotsi Kwapa said the incident was under investigation. “We received a report on Monday morning that a student gave birth inside her dormitory at Goodhope Senior. We went there and found out that an incident had indeed taken place.
“Nurses were called and the young girl was assisted. However, at this stage, we cannot confirm whether the incident was a planned abortion or not because our investigations are still at infancy,” he said. Kwapa advised students to engage their parents, teachers and visit hospitals if they happen to fall pregnant.
“They must also use protection in order to prevent similar incidents in future,” he said. Meanwhile, Goodhope Sub District Council (GSDC) and other authorities here are considering turning Goodhope Senior into a one-gender hostel facility in a bid to address growing incidents of sexual wantonness and ill-discipline at the school.
In an interview on the sidelines of a full council meeting yesterday, GSDC chairperson, Maobene Molefhe said they were still consulting on the idea to transform the school into a one-gender hostel. “There have been just too many incidents at Goodhope Senior which have concerned us as the council,” he said.
Molefhe noted that, “a few months back there were protests at the school and the demarcation fences between boys and girls’ hostels have been cut on several occasions. We have realised that the school’s design places boys and girls’ hostels too close, which tempts sexual indulgence amongst students. It would be better to accommodate either only boys or girls in the boarding facility. That is however not final and the councillors have suggested that we engage all relevant stakeholders in this idea and consult experts.”
Goodhope Senior has made national headlines on numerous occasions for various disturbing incidents including students’ sexual escapades, riots and vandalism.
A month ago, the school was temporarily closed after riots by a section of the plus-2,000 strong student body. Two weeks back nine boys were detained in connection with an incident where six mattresses were burnt inside the boys’ hostel. The boys were arrested but have since been released due to lack of evidence.