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‘Respect starts at home’ – Celebs joins outrage over Glenvista High School teacher assault
There have been questions about the safety of students and teachers at the school where students allegedly torched a part of a hall in 2021.
Teacher, pupils exchange blows, furniture flies at Joburg south high school. Video Screengrab.
Actor Zola Hashatsi has joined the chorus of outrage over a viral video of two grade nine students assaulting a teacher at Glenvista High School in Johannesburg.
In the video, which appears to be recorded during the middle of a violent fistfight, the teacher can be seen between two students. The teacher swings at a student before he is floored.
Another student tries to step in and calm the situation. The teacher gets up from the floor and picks up a chair, before heading to a group of students. He swats the object at them, before throwing it. Another student picks up a desk and throws it over the teacher from behind.
Watch the fight below:
The video sparked an outcry and calls for the children to be criminally prosecuted for assault.
There have been questions about the safety of students and teachers at the school, where students allegedly torched a part of the school hall in 2021.
Respect our teachers
Hashatsi said teachers should be respected.
This Glenvista High School video of two grade 9 students and a teacher fighting does not sit well with me as a former scholar and head boy.
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“We had respect for our teachers. Respect starts from home.”
Hashatsi said he had seen and dealt with rude children and teachers during his time in school but respect for authority was always most important.
Actress Gabisile Tshabalala said she would have disciplined her child if he was the one assaulting the teacher.
“Oh, this poor teacher. Yoh lomtwana! The way I’d beat him up when he gets home”.
Disrespect
Fellow actress and TV personality Lerato Mvelase said it was disrespectful.
“This is the disrespect I was speaking about. When young ones, think it’s okay to be familiar, too familiar with their elders.
“They start thinking they are on par and they can challenge their elders in anyway. I’m not saying there aren’t adults or elders that aren’t wrong, but we are in an era where black children call their elders by name, they date their elders and our engagements have no boundaries.”
She said culture needs to be taught at home.
“Our culture as black people needs to be instilled in our homes, workspaces and communities. It helped avoid a lot of what we see today. We have become too Western as a people, and it’s only going to get worse”.
Fight under investigation
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) visited Glenvista High School on Friday and said it had launched an investigation into the matter.
MEC Matome Chiloane said the department was taking the incident seriously.
Community Chat: Who is to blame for violence in schools?
“The safety of everyone on the premises of schools remains our utmost priority. However, such ill-discipline will not be tolerated.
“Schools are for development, not any other nefarious deeds. As such, we are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident, and we will act decisively on our findings,” said MEC Chiloane.
