More than 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for the removal of the principal atCurro Academyin Protea Glen, Soweto, after the alleged stabbing of a pupil on the school premises on Friday. The petition, circulating under the hashtag#JusticeForNtokozo, was initiated by pupils who claim a grade 11 pupil was stabbed three times by a grade 9 pupil in a school bathroom. The incident is alleged to have occurred during school hours.
According to the petition, the principal allegedly failed to take appropriate action after the stabbing. Pupils allege that instead of prioritising the injured pupil’s safety, the principal attempted to conceal the incident by clearing the scene before the pupil’s parents arrived and discouraging the reporting of the matter. “He didn’t want the boy’s parents to be called.
After the incident, he acted like nothing had happened. He was worried about the school’s reputation and not the learners’ safety,” the petition states, adding that the principal should be dismissed. Pupils further claim that the school environment has becomeunsafe and that incidents of violence are not being adequately addressed by school management.
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The petition continues to gain traction as calls grow for accountability, transparency, and improved pupil safety at the school online. Asked for comment, the school said they are not mandated to respond to media and referred the publication to head office, who said they would respond. In an email seen by Sowetan dated Monday, Johannes Mahlatsi, executive head, advised the school community that an initially planned meeting with parents or guardians was cancelled to make way for the investigation, on the instructions of the investigating officer.
“Good day, parents/guardians, the investigating officer has requested that no communication should be handled based on the incident that happened on Friday. Therefore we are cancelling the meeting,” it read.
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