1 month ago
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“These thugs must be found.” This was a profound caption accompanying a disturbing video showing two children being forcibly removed from a school by men wielding pangas and a gun.
The video, posted by Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane on Monday, sent shock waves, evoking strong emotions about the despicable acts of violence involving grown men in front of children.
One of the men was Pastor Paseka Motsoeneng, better known as “Mboro”, a loose cannon who was wielding two pangas and swinging one at school officials. Mboro’s violent conduct at the school was caught on several videos shared on social media, where he could also be heard threatening those who attempted to come near him as he took away terrified and screaming children. The incident took place at a school in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni.
According to the Gauteng department of education, the conflict was sparked by a feud over custody of the children. Mboro claimed his son, who was fetching his children at the school, was under attack and that he took out his pangas to defend him. But several videos showed Mboro swinging a panga at people and threatening officials without anyone seemingly attacking him.
Worse still, he was accompanied by a man armed with what appeared to be an automatic rifle. The incident was horrible to watch, and it is difficult to imagine how terrified and traumatised the children who witnessed it must have been.
It has since sparked more violence in Katlehong, where Mboro’s church was torched yesterday by protesting school pupils. Nothing could ever justify people taking the law into their own hands, especially where there is a rule of law.
Mboro’s actions at the school were in total disregard of the laws of this country and threatened not only those he aimed his panga at but even the safety of the pupils. Our schools are safe spaces for children to learn and develop not to be traumatised by violence perpetrated by lawbreakers.
That Mboro was not immediately arrested for such blatant thuggery caught on video is perhaps the spark that lit yesterday’s fires in the community. Authorities must throw the book at Mboro for his violent conduct to send a strong message that no-one is above the law.
