A pupil from Ikhwezi High School in Madadeni was murdered in a stabbing on Tuesday, 19 August, outside the school. The altercation allegedly involved pupils from both Ikhwezi High School and Duckponds School. The stabbing reportedly took place when pupils from Duckponds approached the deceased, and an altercation ensued.
The SAPS in Madadeni opened a case and launched an investigation. The suspects were soon handed over to the authorities by their parents after they discovered their involvement.
SAPS Amajuba District Commissioner General Fred Alexander thanked the parents for their responsible action and appealed to other parents to take greater responsibility for their children’s safety and behaviour. He urged them to be vigilant and check their children’s school bags for drugs and weapons.
This murder follows a previous incident a week earlier at St Oswald’s Secondary School. A pupil was stabbed multiple times before the start of the school day and was taken to Madadeni Hospital for treatment.
Amajuba District SAPS spokesperson Constable Nonjabulo Langa said: “Law enforcement was notified immediately of the confrontation between two minors and responded promptly to manage the situation. The SAPS Newcastle opened an attempted murder case and a 17-year-old suspect was apprehended and arrested shortly after the incident.”
Luckily, the St Oswald’s victim survived the attack, unlike the victim in Madadeni. In response to the escalating violence, General Alexander said that SAPS officials in the Amajuba District will now intensify searches for weapons and drugs on school premises. He noted that operational details would only be shared once the plan is fully implemented.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education reported that the Amajuba District recorded 60 cases of bullying and violence in schools between January and June 2025, with 10 involving weapons, marking an increase from 2024.
The community also faces violence from gangs of young men. Speaking at a community engagement following the killing of five people in Osizweni at the end of 2024, Newcastle Mayor, Councillor Xolani Dube, said: “Community members said Osizweni residents have experienced gangsterism ‘for a long time’ with boys as young as 13 terrorising residents.
Various reports and videos have circulated on social media of young boys walking the streets in Osizweni brandishing knives and pangas spreading fear in the township. We will not tolerate this endless reign of terror in our communities, as government, we are committed to ensuring the safety and security of our residents. We will intensify our efforts to eradicate gangsterism and bring perpetrators to justice. We need a united front against this menace. We cannot allow gangsters to hold our community’s hostage. The people of Newcastle deserve safety, security, and peace.”
Speaking at a community engagement on gangsterism in eThekwini earlier this year, KZN Premier Tamsanqa Ntuli said: “No parent wishes for their child to be a criminal. But when you see your child involved in crime or drugs and you protect them instead of getting help, you are the problem. What kind of society are we building harbouring criminals? Harbouring a criminal is like keeping a venomous snake; one day, it will strike. We urge residents to work with police and report crime activities.”
