Student Stabbed By Fellow Pupils For Protecting Girl. The student was assaulted outside school in Pietermaritzburg.
An 18-year-old, Hershel Fynn, student was stabbed on his way home on Tuesday. The learner was allegedly assaulted for questioning students as to why they stabbed a girl student’s behind on Monday. The student was assaulted outside school in Pietermaritzburg.
The learner’s mother says he protected the girl from being harassed during an end of matric ritual title ‘bombing’ This is whereby students mess up school facilities which is a sign of the end of their school career. “When the girl got stabbed, he asked why they were doing that. Because he asked this, he was stabbed. He was just walking home and he was stabbed,” says Natalie Fynn, Hershel’s mother. She states that children came to her home to tell her that Hershel had been hurt. She adds that the 18-year-old was a good person.
“I still cannot believe it. He was very kind and polite and respectful to everyone. I still feel like he’ll just come home,” says the mother. Roy Ram, School Governing Body chairperson, says the 18-year-old had a bright future ahead of him. “He had a great future, a decent boy, not aggressive, very kind. This bombing of 2019 will be a lesson to matrics of 2020 because it took somebody’s life,” says Roy Ram. This is not the first incident according to Roy Ram.
“In 2017 we had an issue with 40 learners locked up. We are saying to students, community and parents, this must stop,” says the School Governing Body chairperson. Kwazi Mshengu, the MEC of Education, asked the community to reveal criminals and protect the institutions. He also stated that the ‘bombing’ tradition should stop. “We must vow that this is the last time. It is not a game, It is an act of senselessness. You cannot find joy in harassing other pupils,” says the MEC of Education. The matter is still under examination.
by Alexandra Ramaite
