Ennerdale residents demand answers after Grade 8 pupil stabbed to death

JOHANNESBURG - As the community of Ennerdale demands answers following the death of a Grade 8 pupil, many have blamed the education department for failing to stem crime and violence in schools in the south of Johannesburg.

Fifteen-year-old Siyanda Malinga was stabbed to death outside the gates of Oakdale Secondary School on Thursday.

It’s understood a Grade 10 pupil ambushed Malinga after he refused to pay him a protection fee of R5.

Emotions reached a boiling point in Ennerdale as parents at the School placed the responsibility for Siyanda Malinga’s death on the Education Department.

Residents said the community has been pleading for security, better infrastructure, and a new school in the area for some time.

They said the school is grossly overcrowded and understaffed, with learning often taking place under trees.

"Ever since 1994, there has been no new school here... to hell with our government they don't care about our children."

The school grounds are overrun with long, thick grass and unkept shrubs, which the community says criminals use as a hideout.

"The community has to clean. Go around, that is where they are hiding themselves... robbing the children."

This is not the first time the community has made headlines in 2019 residents shut down the school over longstanding issues regarding infrastructure.