GDE to investigate Valentine’s dance drama at Hoërskool Roodepoort
Parent says if he wasn't armed he would have been cautious of crowd.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has indicated that it will be investigating the allegations surrounding the drama at Hoërskool Roodepoort’s Valentine’s dance on Friday, 16 February. Parents are alleging that learners took to the streets, damaged vehicles, threw rocks and blocked the road after the dance was cancelled because the DJ was allegedly caught drinking alcohol.
Read the initial article here: School Valentine’s dance turns into riot
In as statement the GDE sent to the Record, the spokesperson, Steve Mabona, wrote “It must be noted that the Valentine’s Day [dance] is a non-curricular activity and this falls within the prerogative of the SGB of the school. As the department we do not have any legislation on the regulating of such Activity. Meaning that, parents always have an agreement with the SGB during the Annual General Meeting on how Valentine’s Day activities should be prepared at the school and we not have any jurisdiction as this is a parental choice. However, officials will be sent to the school to establish facts around the allegations.
“In terms of Regulation 4 of the REGULATIONS FOR SAFETY MEASURES AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS as promulgated by Government Notice 1040 (Government Gazette 22754) of 12 October 2001 –
“No educator, parent or learner, and no other person, may possess or use –
(a) alcohol;
(b) illegal drugs;
(c) any illegal substance; or
(d) dangerous objects,
during any school activity.
“We request parents or anyone with tangible evidence of those allegations to come forward and report the matter to the district office for us to carry on with the investigations. This information will also assist the Police accordingly. It must be noted that as the department we always act swiftly to deal with reported allegations and if found to be true, we’ll not hesitate to take action.
“We remain committed to creating school environments that are free from any form of disruptions in our schools.”
Although the school and the Horison Neigbourhood Watch dispute the allegation that the police had to shoot rubber bullets on the scene, another parent has told the Record that this did indeed happen. He also passed on an email he sent to the school on Monday, 19 February, in which he wrote:
“I would like to know what exactly will be done about the absolutely barbaric scenes I witnessed on Friday night.
“When I arrived to fetch my daughter I observed a large crowd of students gathered outside the school screaming, shouting and damaging vehicles as they tried to drive through.
Also Read: School disputes facts concerning Valentine’s dance chaos
“I proceeded to park down the street (to protect my vehicle) and walked up through the crowd which was completely out of hand and volatile. In fact, should I not have been armed I would have been very cautious doing so.
“When arriving at the gate I found my daughter and numerous friends hiding inside the premises in tears. They were shocked and completely terrified. I noticed that all this was being monitored by one teacher who had absolutely no control of the situation.
“I waited there for a while to see what transpired and look after the young girls who were clearly shaken waiting by themselves on the side of the road while these thugs, who were all Hoërskool Roodepoort students, ran rampant through the streets hitting cars and even throwing rocks at them occasionally. This only seemed to calm down when the police eventually arrived.
“Now, I would like to know what is being done to guarantee the safety of my daughter when things like this break out? This is not something that can be swept under the rug and made to disappear.
“This was shocking proof that the school has absolutely no control should something like this happen and it is effectively “every man for himself” should chaos erupt.
“I would appreciate some clarity on this situation”.
The parent claims the school has not responded to his email as yet.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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