'Slain pupil was trying to save my life'

A 15-year-old pupil has told how his friend was stabbed to death at a school in Alexandra, Johannesburg, as he tried to protect him.

This latest incident has added to a growing problem of violence and gangsterism in township schools in Gauteng and other provinces.

The grade 8 pupil, who cannot be named because he is a minor, recalled Monday's horrific events in which his friend Qayiya Mgaye, 15, was stabbed near the toilets at Pholosho Junior Secondary School. 

“My friend died while trying to protect me and there was nothing I could do about it,” said the weeping pupil.

He said he had a fight with another pupils at the school and when Qayiya tried to stop them, he got stabbed by a 16-year-old schoolmate.

“I was winning the fight when Qayiya came to stop us. I saw the suspect jumping the school's fence. He later came back with his friends. The security had blocked his friends from entering the school premises. One of the friends gave him a knife,” he said in between sobs. 

He said a teacher grabbed his arm after he heard that he was one of the pupils who were fighting. 

“I tried to explain to him that my friend was in danger, but he wouldn't listen. All I wanted was to go and warn my friend as I saw that the suspect had a knife. I had an opportunity to save his life, but the teacher wouldn't let go of me,” he said. 

Patroller Thembisile Williams told Sowetan of Qayiya's dying moments after he was attacked.

“The learners were on a break when I saw the boy running towards the gate. He wanted me to open for him but I could see that he was hurt. The knife was still stuck in him. I immediately took him in my arms to calm him down,” she said.

“I kept praying, asking God to spare Qayiya's life as I held him in my arms. I did not even see that he was no more. Before he went quiet he told me who had stabbed him.

“At that moment I thought he was just unconscious. That left me traumatised. I could not sleep at all as I kept seeing his face,” she said.

There was high police presence at the school with psychologists dispatched to offer counselling to pupils and educators. 

A poster with the words “we miss you” was placed on his empty desk.

When Sowetan team arrived at the school in the morning, a group of about seven boys was outside the premises.

One of them armed with a pair of scissors, they said they wanted to avenge Qayiya's death.

“We are here to avenge one of our own who was killed by someone we thought was one of our own. There are two gangster groups – East and West. The fight started on Saturday about the group that is more powerful than the other. We did not think he would kill him. We are here for the teacher who refused to let go of the friend [who could have warned Qayiya]," said one of them.

Another boy said: “We are here to perform our ritual. There is no order at this school, it's like Sodom and Gomorrah and that is where we fit [in]." 

A school representative member said the perpetrator was troublesome.

“He sells dagga and cigarettes at school and he once stabbed a grade 8 learner early this year. We have been calling for his suspension but nothing happened. We asked the security to search learners but that also fell on deaf ears,” he said.  

The family has demanded answers from education MEC Panyaza Lesufi and said the government had failed them.

Qayiya's aunt Fundiswa Sefa said: “He was a quiet child who deeply cared for his mother. He was the only son out of five siblings and we had hoped that one day he would be the one to build his mother a house. He wanted to be a police officer so as to fight crime and unfortunately that will never happen,” Sefa said.

Lesufi said after spending nearly two hours at the school, he still didn't have answers.

“There are accusations of drugs, gangsterism and poor management.

“It is sad that I don’t have answers,” he said.