Five learners and a parent have been arrested following a violent disruption at Tsakane Secondary School in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, where classes and examinations were brought to a standstill on Thursday.
According to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), the arrests follow a series of troubling incidents in which a group of learners allegedly terrorised both students and educators. Reports indicate that the pupils were involved in bullying, intimidation, threatening fellow learners and staff, as well as extorting money and phones from their peers during school hours.
GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona revealed that these same perpetrators had previously pelted stones during Grade 12 camps, damaged newly installed school doors, and even set fires in the school toilets. Matters escalated further on Wednesday, 20 August 2025, when the group allegedly brandished knives, blocked passages, and threatened both learners and teachers.
Mabona added that one of the arrested learners had already been suspended for violently assaulting a female learner with a chair. Despite this disciplinary action, the pupil repeatedly forced his way back into the school premises, ignoring suspension orders. Educators have since expressed growing fear for their safety, with some refusing to return to their classrooms due to ongoing intimidation.
On Thursday, the situation reached a breaking point when the group reportedly disrupted the Grade 12 preliminary examinations. Educators and learners were left traumatised, while one parent who was among those arrested was accused of actively supporting and encouraging the violent behaviour, intensifying tensions within the school community.
“The GDE strongly condemns these acts of criminality and violence, which undermine the safe schooling environment that all learners and educators deserve. Schools must remain centres of learning and not spaces of fear or lawlessness. The swift action by police should serve as a deterrent to others who are planning to disrupt our schools,” Mabona said.
He further confirmed that psychosocial support teams will be deployed to the school to provide counselling to affected learners, while employee wellness services will be made available for educators.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, reaffirmed the department’s commitment to ensuring safe learning spaces, stressing that violence and intimidation would not be tolerated in schools.
“We will not allow our schools to be turned into spaces of violence and intimidation. Every learner has a right to quality education, and every teacher has a right to a safe working environment. We commend police for taking decisive action and assure the community of Tsakane that order will be restored,” Chiloane stated.
The arrests mark a firm stance by authorities to restore discipline and protect the right to education in Gauteng schools.
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