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The DA strongly condemns the brutal attack on a KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Education (DoE) official, who was beaten by gun and panga-wielding thugs after they illegally entered an Umlazi school.

According to information received, the perpetrators hid behind a classroom block and attacked the man as he left after invigilating a matric exam paper on Monday.

While the department, under MEC Mbali Frazer has offered support to the victim’s shocked and devastated family and colleagues, it is clear that more must be done to ensure safety within our educational institutions.  That a group of armed men can enter a school premises and cause such harm is both horrific and unacceptable.

The incident comes after the recent release of the Second Quarter crime statistics – for the period July to September 2023 - which show that;
• 23 people were raped on KZN educational premises
• 18 of these premises were schools and;
• Five learners and two teachers were murdered on school property.

MEC, Mbali Frazer – and her predecessors – failure to take school safety seriously is the reason why such horrific incidents continue to take place within our schools.

The DA expects the MEC to work closely with her Community Safety counterpart, MEC Sipho Hlomuka in launching a full probe into this latest attack. Such thuggery also suggests gang violence in the area - which is now having a detrimental effect on schools, staff and learners. It must be stamped out and the perpetrators brought to book.

The DA has long advocated for a whole of society approach in dealing with such societal ills. Regrettably, KZN’s Taliban faction ANC government continues to ignore our solutions.

Where the DA governs, learning outcomes and the quality of education is better by ensuring that learners do not drop-out and that staff morale remains high. Our whole-of-society approach to schooling and school safety has ensured that more children complete their studies, giving them greater opportunities to contribute to the economy.

The DA difference will be felt next year when KZN’s citizens go to the polls and rescue our province from this ANC government.

Issued by Dr Imran Keeka, MPL - DA KZN Spokesperson on Education