Crime prevention wardens allegedly assault learner

Kwa-Thema – A Tlakula Secondary School Grade 11 learner claims crime prevention wardens assaulted him on the school premises.

The boy, not named for fear of victimisation, said the April 30 school day started like any other.

“The wardens entered the school at some point. Each learner had their school bag, and they searched us,” he explained.

He said this happened outside his registered class while the teacher watched.

“The wardens did not find anything inappropriate in my bag but kept sniffing my clothes,” he added.

The boy claims that after the wardens had searched everyone, they told him to walk with them while the other learners entered the class.

“We walked to a Toyota Venture parked on the school premises. They told me to get into the back seat and said I must put my head down,” he continued.

Once in the vehicle, the wardens pressed the boy’s head against his knees, and he alleges the wardens started to beat him. He is unsure what they used.

“They laughed the whole time,” he added.

His mother later took him to the Kwa-Thema Main Clinic for medical attention, where a medical practitioner completed a J88 form.

“He was in a lot of pain, I could tell. But I was also confused about the incident and how it could have happened at the school,” explained his mother.

She approached the school, who told her to wait for a meeting with Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) officials.

A media inquiry, sent through the correct channels of the GDE, failed to garner a response. Another inquiry, sent through the crime prevention wardens’ communication channels, was also not responded to.