Two girls suspended after knife fight outside Durban school

Two teenage girls caught on video in a knife fight at a Chatsworth school, south of Durban, have been suspended.

Muhammad Adam, a school governing body member at Crossmoor Secondary School in Chatsworth who spoke to TimesLIVE, confirmed the girls were in a fight outside the school last week.

He condemned the incident, saying one of the girls was bruised and had to have stitches on her face.

The girls are in grade 11 and 12 respectively.

In a video, one of the pupils is seen stabbing the other repeatedly while other pupils surround them.

“This whole thing happened outside the gates of the school. The school has handled the issue,” said Adam.

The education department and police were informed and are investigating. 

A pupil told TimesLIVE the incident was sparked by a heated altercation.

“We were going home early on the day [of the stabbing]. I know the next day one of the parents came to the school premises and threw a fit,” said the pupil.

Adam said the school had over the years produced pleasing results. But when Covid-19 hit it recorded a slight dip. 

“We have increased security in the mornings and afternoons. We have metal detectors now,” he said.

Sword and Shield Security, the company employed to guard the school, said it was considering deploying more guards at the school on a pro-bono basis as ill-discipline had become prevalent. 

“Government cannot pay for the guards the school would like to have,” said the company's Calvin Naidoo.

The department of education didn't respond to queries.

TimesLIVE