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Glenover School Stabbings Shock Durban: Racial Tensions Under Scrutiny

Published

14 hours ago

September 2, 2025

Chiraag

school stabbing Durban, Glenover Secondary School violence, learners attacked KwaZulu-Natal, education department response, racial tensions at schools, community violence Durban, Joburg ETC

A confrontation on the pitch, then knives in the crowd

What should have been a normal soccer run-out at Glenover Secondary in Durban turned into a day the school will not forget. A disagreement between two learners on the field grew into something far bigger and uglier. By the afternoon, five learners had been stabbed, and the community was reeling.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education confirmed that the initial clash took on racial undertones. The school suspended four learners who were directly involved in the first incident. Officials say the situation escalated later when a group that allegedly included a parent and former learners confronted pupils. It was during that attack that the stabbings occurred.

Officials call for calm and for parents to lead at home

KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka condemned the violence and rejected claims that staff mishandled the response. He praised the school for acting quickly and reminded families that discipline starts at home. Parents, he said, must model respect and restraint and must not inflame tensions.

The department appealed to the community to protect teaching time. Grade 12 learners are busy with intensive trial examination preparation, while Grades 8 to 11 are preparing for third-term assessments. Any disruption compromises the future of the very children everyone claims to defend.

What we know and what comes next

The school alerted the South African Police Service and its private security provider as soon as the attack began. Police comment has been requested. The department says it will work with law enforcement to hold those responsible to account.

This incident feels bigger than one school. It speaks to how quickly a teenage quarrel can mirror broader fractures in a city where communities live side by side and emotions run close to the surface. The work now is practical and local. Support the learners who were hurt. Keep classrooms calm. Challenge adults to act like adults.