IFP urges the public to use the process of forthcoming public hearings
to combat school violence

MEDIA STATEMENT RELEASED BY:
MR ALFRED MPONTSHANE MP
IFP SPOKESPERSON ON EDUCATION

September 14, 2006

The IFP spokesperson on Education, Mr Alfred Mpontshane, today said:

"The IFP finds the recent spate of incidents of school violence around South Africa deplorable. Last week a Grade 10 pupil was beaten by fellow learners for allegedly stealing a cell phone in Muizenberg, on Tuesday a 16 year old was hit with a crowbar in Port Elizabeth, and also on Tuesday, a knife-wielding Grade 8 pupil had to be disarmed by teachers in Bhisho. We can no longer treat school violence as just one or two isolated incidents; it must be seen as a nation-wide problem and be dealt with urgently."

"The IFP would like to urge concerned parents, teachers, school governing bodies and the general public to use the South African Human Rights Commission's forthcoming public hearings to submit all factual examples of school violence and concerns about the frequency of its occurrence before the deadline of 19 September 2006. These facts and concerns are vital to formulate a way forward to combat further acts of school violence."

In conclusion, Mr Mpontshane said: "The IFP is not only interested in good analysis of the causes of school violence, we are more interested in finding solutions to combat this problem."


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr Alfred Mpontshane MP:082 441 6201
Noleen Hendricks: 082 886 9848