The recent deaths of two pupils of Maniini Primary School, who died under mysterious circumstances, have led to mayhem and chaos in the village.

The two are alleged to have eaten food that was supplied by the school feeding scheme. A third pupil, who also ate the food, is said to be seriously ill at a local hospital.

The first to die was a Grade 6 pupil, Rotshidzwa Nelukau (16), who fell ill last week and died on 10 November at a hospital in Polokwane. The other pupil, only known as Rotshidzwa, is alleged to have died on Monday.

The community and pupils have pointed an accusing finger to the cooking staff, which they allege were responsible for the poisoning. Early on Monday morning, enraged parents stormed the school and were joined by pupils who arrived for their final examinations.

They wanted to evict the cooking staff, saying that they no longer trusted them because of the deaths. A chaotic situation developed when the pupils from the lowest grade went straight for the kitchen staff who were held up in one of the classrooms. They demanded that the kitchen staff be handed over to them, so that they could deal with them to avenge the deaths of their fellow pupils.

The swift intervention by the Thohoyandou police diverted what could have been bloodshed and they whisked the kitchen staff to safety in an armoured police vehicle.

No schooling took place and the writing of examinations was disrupted.

Incensed and angry pupils went on the rampage, barricading roads leading to the school and destroying property. The windscreen of a police vehicle was smashed during the mayhem.

The pupils temporarily dispersed but regrouped in the evening and went straight to the house of a member of the kitchen staff. The kids pelted the house with stones before setting it alight. Nothing was saved from the house.

The house of another member of the kitchen staff was also pelted with stones and windows were broken. “We do not want them here again. We hired them to look after our children, but they have turned out to be monsters who want to wipe out our children. We do not want their services any longer,” said an angry villager. A community leader and local political activist, Mr Livhuwani Ligaraba, called for calmness, however.

The circumstances surrounding the deaths and the alleged poisoning are still sketchy, but Limpopo Mirror managed to talk to Ms Azwinndini Munzhedzi, an aunt of Rotshidzwa Nelukau. "Rotshidzwa started vomiting at around 11:00 and we took him to the clinic. His condition deteriorated and an ambulance was summoned to transport him to the hospital. He was transferred to a hospital in Polokwane, where he died," she said.

According to her, they asked the boy what he had eaten and he told them that he had eaten some rice and fish at school. "We just heard about the poisoning issue from pupils. We are busy preparing for the funeral and we will just wait and see what the police find out,” she added.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Major Mashudu Malelo said they were investigating charges of public violence. "So far, we have not arrested anybody and investigations are continuing. We will also talk to the families of the deceased to find out exactly what  happened," he added.

He said the situation was still tense, but the police were maintaining a visible presence.