According to the prosecution authority, a schoolboy in South Africa who was detained at the age of thirteen for allegedly shooting and injuring his principal may face trial as an adult.
The youngster, who has not been named, has been charged with attempted murder.
The 51-year-old woman he allegedly assaulted is presently undergoing treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Concern over school violence is on the rise in South Africa, and this shooting has added fuel to that fire.
The shooting at the primary school in Germiston, east of Johannesburg, allegedly took place on Friday and involved the student using a firearm that belonged to his father.
According to Col. Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, a police spokesperson, the father was also due to appear in court on Tuesday after being arrested on suspicion of negligence using a firearm.
Matome Chiloane, the education minister of Gauteng province, made the accusation that the student had made a “hitlist” of three instructors “who were giving him problems in school” during Monday’s school visit.
According to his buddies, who we spoke with, this has been planned for some time. Their communication and preparation for this horrific incident apparently took place in a WhatsApp group.
He stated the child had taken ammunition to the school on a previous occasion.
Neither the youngster nor his father has reacted on the claims.
Under South Africa’s Child Justice Act, a 12- or 13-year-old is assumed not to have “criminal capacity” unless the state can establish otherwise.
In the case of this shooting, following a request from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), a magistrate has ordered a report into the boy’s capacity to differentiate right from wrong and an assessment of his cognitive, moral, emotional, psychological and social development.
The magistrate will next decide if he can be tried as an adult.
Reflecting on the case, Pretty Ndlovu, a senior social worker at the National Children and Violence Trust organization, said she was concerned about the incidence of gun crimes in the country and their impact on children.
“We are going through a lot as humans and there is often arguing in the house, which can lead to anger issues in a child. No youngster can wake up and carry a gun. Where are we as parents and educators? Why are we not supervising our children? We are losing a generation,” she added.
Mr Chiloane stated that whatever the outcome of the legal process the suspected perpetrator would have to “undergo stringent rehabilitation” before being allowed back into the education system.
Safety in schools has been a major worry in Gauteng, the province with the highest population in South Africa and its economic core.
The incident comes weeks after a pupil was stabbed to death and another injured at a secondary school south of Johannesburg.
Mr Chiloane committed to improve security at schools across the province after that occurrence.
On Monday, Gauteng’s Premier Panyaza Lesufi claimed that “selected high-risk schools” specified by the department of education are being watched via CCTV cameras.
Leave a Reply