Boy, 17, released into his parents’ custody after allegedly stabbing 20-year-old learner to death
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A 20-year-old Grade 10 learner was stabbed to death, allegedly by a 17-year-old boy at Boschfontein in Mpumalanga on Tuesday afternoon.
According to police information, the alleged killer was also attending at the same school, Mbambiso High School in Boschfontein, before he was apparently expelled last year when he was in Grade 9.
“Immediately after school hours, the victim (the 20-year-old learner) was attacked just a stone’s throw away from his school,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said.
“When police attended the scene, the deceased was found in the pool of blood with a stab wound on his chest. The knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was also found next to the lifeless body of the victim.”
The 20-year-old learner was certified dead on the scene by paramedics.
“Circumstances that led to the brutal murder are unknown at the moment, but investigation continues,” said Mohlala.
“The suspect fled the scene, but was later handed over to the police by his parents. The probation officer was roped in to do assessment, while the suspect was released under his parents’ custody, as he is a minor.”
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has appealed to parents across the province to monitor their children's movements and behaviour.
“We really prioritised school safety, as a result school safety campaigns are conducted on a regular basis with the specific focus on bullying,” said Manamela.
“We cannot be at every school every time, but parents’ involvement can play a major role in ensuring the safety of both learners and teachers at schools.”
In September, IOL reported that a 17-year-old Limpopo learner was making his first court appearance before the Mahwelereng Magistrate’s Court after being arrested in connection with the murder of a fellow learner.
It is alleged that the victim, Eliya Phago, 17, who was a Grade 11 learner at Rakodubana High School, got into a heated argument, which led to his death.
IOL