In a very unusual incident, angry learners at Mafumani High School at Homu village in Giyani pelted their school with stones.

The nasty situation developed two weeks ago. The children boycotted classes amidst a disagreement between teachers and the principal over the hiring of a new teacher at the school. The teacher in question, Tsakani Baloyi, was apparently a teacher at the school, but left last year for a higher post at the circuit office. She apparently returned to take the position of deputy-principal at the school, a move which angered some teachers, who felt they were being overlooked and that she was being favoured by the principal.

The uproar is said to have started when the teacher was introduced to staff and learners. Learners apparently walked out on the principal, Mr Lemson Ngwenya, during assembly when he arrived with his new deputy. A disagreement which ensued thereafter allegedly turned into full-blown violence on Friday of the same week, where learners pelted the school principal with stones, broke windows of some offices at the school and damaged a windshield on one of the teachers’ cars.

By Monday last week, there were no classes at the school except the Grade 12s, who were writing an English paper.

A meeting comprising SGB members, teachers and the circuit manager was held at the school to try and resolve the matter. According to information leaked by some of the SGB members who attended the meeting, it is clear that they do not want to work with the principal anymore.

On Tuesday, another meeting, which included all the parents, was held at the school without his presence. This time, some learners were said to have turned up after a rumour that “the principal is going” had done the rounds at the school. However, they were released earlier than usual to make way for the meeting.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the SGB at the school, Vincent Mthombeni, is keeping mum on the outcome of the Tuesday meeting, which all parents had been invited to attend. He had earlier promised to comment if given the mandate to do so.

The spokesperson for the Department of Education, Pat Kgomo, condemned the situation at the school, saying the department believed that “the learners are being influenced by certain teachers in the school. As a department, we condemn the engaging of learners in issues that do not require their presence. If it were something that has to do with a school policy that affects them, we would understand, but this clearly does not require them and we therefore strongly condemn it and we call on all learners to resume classes,” he said.