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Mkhululi Ncube and Thokozile Mbedzi, Chronicle Reporters
POLICE have said they are conducting investigations following violence that rocked Msiteli High School in Mpopoma suburb last week and warned pupils against participating in criminal activities.

Rival pupils gangs from Msiteli and Sizane High School in Pelandaba suburb attacked each other using stones, catapults, knives and knobkerries resulting in destruction of school property.

Yesterday, Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube addressed pupils at the two schools.

“You must concentrate on your studies and avoid being involved in crime because that will disturb your future careers.

This will taint your record and prevent you from getting good opportunities like scholarships and jobs as no one will hire someone with a criminal record.

“You must have the spirit of ubuntu and behave well at school and avoid vandalising school property because this is where your future is moulded.

“Do not take drugs because some do bad things under their influence and end up committing crimes. Be good ambassadors of your school which will put it on the map. We are doing investigations on all the perpetrators,” said Insp Ncube to pupils at Msiteli High School.

During a school address, Msiteli head Mr Canny Vundla blamed school leavers for causing trouble at the school saying they were behind the violence that rocked the school last week. Mpopoma High School head Mr Christopher Dube said pupils lack parental guidance at home.

He said teachers are doing their best to produce good learners but are not supported by the community when they leave the school.

“When they go outside of the school they do different kinds of behaviour like drugs, fights and other bad habits which cause them to misbehave and end up vandalising school property. Some end up not attending lessons because they will be fearing being bullied once they leave the school premises,” he said.

Meanwhile, in separate interviews stakeholders have spoken against pupils’ gang violence and have urged more action to be taken to end the problem.

Councillor Frank Jabangwe urged police to deal with drug lords in communities as they are the ones fueling some of the problems.

Cllr Jabangwe said there are many idle youths who are doing nothing after finishing school and end up resorting to such ills.

“Police must play their role when things go out of hand like this. We have many unemployed youths who resort to gangs and drugs. Police should follow up all people selling drugs in the communities and make arrests before things go out of hand,” he said.

Roman Catholic Church head in Bulawayo Archbishop Alex Thomas said the incident was a sign that something is very wrong in families and communities.

“We are lacking in discipline, discipline in personal life, discipline in family life. If these children are from families which are strong morally, socially, spiritually, and ethically they will not do these kinds of things.

The communities should be appalled because these children belong to them. How do they neglect this?” he said.
Archbishop Thomas said it was also concerning that there seems to be a history of such a problem at the school without action being taken.

“We have a lot of broken families, some of the children may be staying with no parents, some with single parents, and some stay with grandparents where they don’t get direct support.

Some do not get parental support and some parents do not communicate with their children regularly and properly.

So, if a child has a problem, they do not know who to go to and end up going to the wrong people for guidance. We need everybody to come on board to deal with the issue very quickly and very drastically,” he said.
Archbishop Thomas said even though corporal punishment is banned there was a need for discipline as pupils would go wild if there is no fear of the law.

Social Commentator, Mr Cont Mhlanga said the violent gangs in schools were a mark of societal fabric breaking down.

He said children in the past belonged to the whole community, but that has changed thus affecting children’s behaviour as people just watch wrong being done.

“There is no law within families, the social upbringing in the families is broken, umuntu wondliwa liguma langakibo.

The laws in the family impact society but we no longer have those laws. Children used to be socialised in a certain way by the family and community, but all those things are gone. The community no longer works together to address social issues affecting them,” he said.–@themkhust