Sne Masuku

Sne Masuku

Teaching is expected to back to normal today at a school in Durban where a teacher was stabbed and killed by a pupil last term.

Mazwi Mkhwanazi, 18, a pupil at Thornwood Secondary School in Marianhill near Pinetown, has appeared in court and is expected to apply for bail next week.

The teachers had refused to teach until their concerns about safety were met.

They said even though the pupil who killed Nokulunga Ndala was behind bars, they still felt unsafe after his friends at the school had threatened more violence against teachers.

"We are scared of what his friends will do in revenge for their friend's arrest," said a teacher.

The teachers are calling for the deployment of security guards on the school premises and for razor wire to be mounted on the school fence.

Yesterday no teaching happened again as the teachers were locked in a meeting with parents of the suspect's friends in an attempt to allay their fears.

The teachers were locked in a meeting with the MEC for education in KwaZulu-Natal, Ina Cronje, earlier to find ways to restore peace.

Cronje initially visited the school after the incident to offer her condolences.

Urging the teachers to return to classes, Cronje promised them that she would deal with their issues immediately.

Nelly Zwane, a concerned parent, said that the safety of the teachers had been compromised.

"We would be happy if razor wire is installed.

"That way pupils suspended for disruptive behaviour would not be able to again entry to the school by jumping over the fence," she said.

Zwane said the same pupil had been suspended before for slapping a female teacher.