The Gauteng Department of Education says they have a safety plan in place for learners around the province. This comes after a female learner, Palesa Malatjie from Ntsako Secondary School in Soshanguve, Tshwane was raped and murdered while coming back from school after attending an extra class.

FAMILY IN DISBELIEF 

When Palesa did not return home as expected last Thursday, her family began searching for her at the school, to no avail. Her body was found on Friday, 26 May 2023, next to Echibini Secondary School also in Soshanguve. Family spokesperson Thabiso Malatjie said he was at a loss for words. He said never in his imagination did he think he would come across such brutality, especially to a girl child. "I’ve come across such incidents on TV and in the newspaper. Never did I think it would happen in my own home to such a promising child. Palesa’s future was bright; she was a high-performing learner in Maths and Science and had big dreams for herself. I hope her killers are found and removed from society. Our children are not safe," he said. 

SAFETY PLANS IN PLACE 

MEC for Education in Gauteng, Matome Chiloane visited Palesa’s school and family yesterday and expressed concern over the number of violent incidents involving school children. "We have safety plans in place, however, now we realise that we have to speed up the implementation. We have identified schools in high-risk areas including Ntsako Secondary, where Palesa was a learner. We will be bringing on patrollers and have placed CCTV cameras in 35 schools and control room centres as a pilot project," Chiloane said the pilot was successful therefore CCTV cameras will be installed in 275 other schools that were also identified as high-risk in the province. 

NOT JUST A STATISTIC

Chiloane added that Palesa’s death was shocking. "It’s not easy to receive news that a child has died, it’s really one life too many. The perpetrators are heartless and don’t deserve to be in the community. I’ve asked law enforcement to prioritise this case and crack it quickly. Palesa is not just a statistic to us, she’s not just a number- we are pained by her murder," he added. Chiloane said the department will be dispatching their Psycho-Social Support to the school and family. He urged the police to urgently arrest the perpetrators of this unspeakable crime.