Warrant of arrest issued as Eastwood pupil fails to appear in court

2017-12-15 13:45

Sharika Regchand, The Witness

Pupils were arrested when the traditional end-of-year hijinks got out of hand when stones were thrown and a pupil's thumb was severed. Condoms filled with urine and faeces, and eggs were thrown at teachers and other pupils. (File)

A warrant of arrest was on Thursday issued against an Eastwood Secondary School pupil for failing to appear in the city’s magistrate’s court.

The 19-year-old was supposed to have been in court along with 19 other pupils. His attorney could not provide reasons to magistrate M. Boikhutso as to why he was absent.

All the pupils are charged with public violence for allegedly “throwing stones, damaging school windows and vehicles, throwing condoms filled with urine and faeces on school premises as well as [at] police, injuring a fellow learner by slamming a window onto his hand, severing his thumb”.

The incident took place in October on the last day of classes.

The Witness reported that the traditional end-of-year hijinks got out of hand when stones were thrown and a pupil’s thumb was severed. Condoms filled with urine and faeces, and eggs were thrown at teachers and other pupils.

Police said a pupil’s hand had been injured by a sharp object, allegedly a knife. School vehicles and buildings were damaged in the chaos.

Boikhutso on Thursday asked why the majority of the pupils turned up wearing their school uniforms. She was informed that there was going to be a memorial service at the school later in the day for a pupil who had died. This had nothing to do with the incident.

“You are not representing the school so don’t wear school uniforms in court again,” the magistrate told the pupils.

She adjourned the matter to January 31, and warned them to be in court then and not to cause “chaos” in the interim.

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