Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The Kei Road Combined school outside Bisho was closed by the Education Department yesterday (subs: Tues) following a second wave of violence by pupils over matric farewell money.

School pupils who wished to remain unnamed, said police and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) had to rescue the school principal and teachers from from an angry mob of about 500 pupils on Thursday last week.

This came exactly a week after a similar incident at the school where police and the SANDF had to be called in.

The pupils said the mob were "angered" by school principal Loyiso Dyani's refusal to supply R6000 for their farewell party.

SCR deputy president Siviwe Carelsin said the pupils "rampaged" through the school and held Dyani and other teaching staff hostage.

Carelsin said the School Governing Body were holding an urgent meeting on Thursday over the previous weeks rioting when the pupils went on the rampage again.

He said the SGB had "not come up with any solutions".

He said the SRC committee tried to call the rest of the parents to the meeting but "by the time the parents arrived at the school, the principal had decided to call the police and students were angered".

"The gates were locked and the students put a water tank in front of them." He said the school's closure had been ordered by a "King William's Town education district official" who had attended last Thursday's meeting.

A police officer in Kei Road Police Station confirmed the beleaugured school had been closed due to Thursday's riot.

A meeting between the school staff, district officials, parents and the students was due to be held today (subs: Wed).

Education director of communications Professor Danie Breytenbach yesterday (subs: Tues) condemned the "irresponsible behaviour" of the pupils.

"It is totally unacceptable for pupils to act unrespectfully and irresponsibly," said Breytenbach.

"We condemn that in the strongest manner possible." He said the pupils should "learn that in life, sometimes, you cannot get all you want".