Unruliness at schools 'totally unacceptable'

PRETORIA -- Education Minister Kader Asmal said yesterday violence or threats of boycotts at schools were totally unacceptable and that political organisations should not operate beyond the school gate.

"In our democracy any threat of violence will be met with the severe extent of the law," he told reporters here after visiting violence-ridden schools in Alexandra near Sandton and KwaThema on the East Rand.

"There should be no hiding places in schools for thugs, hooligans and trouble-makers -- whether they belong to political organisations or gangs."

Asmal said the apparent motivation behind the Alexandra violence -- that the community was unhappy about an alleged killer not being arrested -- was "lynch law".

In a democracy there were normal ways to pursue a grievance, which did not include taking the law into one's own hands.

Asmal said it appeared everybody knew the identity of the suspect, but the information was not given to the police.

"There must be concrete grounds for arresting someone."

There was agreement in the community that the schools should open today.

The Independent Complaints Directorate would investigate the death of a 20-year-old youth who was shot dead during clashes between pupils and police on Tuesday.

It was vital that nothing interrupted schooling in Alexandra, more so because matric pass rates were between four and 19 percent at schools in the township.

"Schools should not be used as a political instrument for anyone," said Asmal.

Principals in KwaThema had told him that gangsterism and drugs played a large part in the violence there, and that adults were involved. The principals were unable to control drug trafficking.

A pupil had said he feared the gangsters at school.

The "godfathers" had to be rooted out, Asmal said.

With reference to the conflict in the KwaThema schools between the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) and the Pan Africanist Students' Organisation, and within Cosas, he said partisan politics had no place beyond the school gates.

"We fought very hard to have student representative councils. Now we should make use of them," Asmal said.

"We must consider what roles other organisations (like Cosas) should play if we now have SRCs."

After visiting the schools yesterday, he, Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete and Justice Minister Penuell Maduna had decided no outsiders should be allowed at the schools, that any threat or violence should be followed up with disciplinary action and that no political formations would be allowed to function within schools.

"We hope that, with the presence of police, schools will start functioning again."

In a democracy nothing justified threatened school boycotts.

The overwhelming majority of pupils wanted to go to school, Asmal said.

It was tragic that some occasions were used for mass mobilisation.

"We must stop this toyi-toying."

This did not only include physical toyi-toying, but also the mental version -- the attitude of not accepting the legitimacy of structures.

Threats of violence and demands of pass one, pass all should not even be discussed, Asmal said. -- Sapa