Several pupils from Folweni High School,  south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, were sent home on Monday after they identified themselves as members of gangs.

This comes three days after a grade 8 pupil from the school was stabbed to death, allegedly by a group of grade 9 pupils, in what is believed to be gang-related violence at the school.

 KZN education MEC Kwazi Mshengu visited the school on Monday and said they met with pupils who clearly identified themselves as gang members.

“They were sent home [and told] to come back  with their parents as they need to know that should they do anything against the code of conduct, the school will not hesitate to act or to even expel them. The majority of learners fear for their lives so we need to remove rotten potatoes as a number of learners are no longer coming to school,” he said.

Mshengu said pupils had  divided themselves into different groups of gangsters and the situation has become unstable at the school.

“It’s a volatile situation at the school and unfortunately these learners are used by some members of the community who are pushing drugs. They fight outside the school and the fights end up spilling to the school. We will have to include the police as the problem extends beyond school premises,” Mshengu said.

A neighbour of the deceased pupil said the boy apparently belonged  to a gang called Mkhosi and the others were from a gang  in the Adams area.

“This has been an ongoing war from two years back. These boys are always fighting and I am not sure what led to the fight this time,” he said.

In a video circulating on social media, a group of more than 10 school pupils can be seen assaulting a pupil with open fists and kicking him. Some pupils can be heard screaming in the background.

This is the same school where a security guard was shot by unknown people in an incident that took place in June last year.

This is a developing story.