The relative peace of Cedar High School in Mitchells Plain was shattered this week when a routine game of interval soccer spiralled into a brutal confrontation, drawing in members of the surrounding community and leaving a trail of trauma in its wake. What began as a six-a-side match on Wednesday ended in a hail of stones and a desperate scramble for safety, forcing the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to take the drastic step of banning the sport in the school’s quad area.
According to sources who spoke to the Daily Voice, the catalyst for the mayhem was a single physical altercation during the lunch break. "The learners played a soccer game, six-a-side, during interval," one source explained, detailing how the competitive spirit of the match quickly curdled. "After a few kicks, a player from one team kicked another player on the other team, and they kicked back and had a fight. But after that, there were no fights or aggressiveness."
However, this brief flare-up proved to be merely the prelude to a much larger explosion of violence. While the school grounds remained quiet for the remainder of the academic day, the tensions simmered beneath the surface, waiting for the final bell to ring. At approximately 3:00 pm, as learners exited the gates, the conflict reignited with a ferocity that caught many off guard.
"The community got involved and chased the guys who attacked the one guy who was kicked," the source added. "There was stone throwing as well, and the schoolkids were chased back into the school grounds." The scene described was one of absolute chaos, with the "laaities" rolling in the quad before the fighting spilled over into the residential streets of Mitchells Plain.
The involvement of "mense" from the community has raised serious questions about the permeability of school security and the influence of external elements on learner behaviour. Vanessa le Roux, the founder of Parents for Equal Education (Peesa), was scathing in her assessment of the situation. She pointedly questioned the whereabouts of the security personnel and teachers who are mandated to perform ground duty.
"If I am correct, it looks like one gang fighting another," Le Roux stated. "And if this is happening at the school, the authorities must be honest with parents, and the department must say what they are doing to assist this school to keep other children safe." Her concerns are not unfounded, as she warned that such incidents often serve as a precursor to even more dangerous escalations, including stabbings or pre-planned retaliatory fights.
This latest incident at Cedar High is not an isolated case of "bakleiery" but part of a deeply concerning trend of violence at the institution. In April 2025, a Grade 11 learner at the same school was left in critical condition after being stabbed multiple times. Earlier, in August 2024, two other pupils were hospitalised following another stabbing on the school premises, an event that led to two arrests and saw the school grounds described as "battle grounds" in local media reports.
The psychological toll on the student body is becoming increasingly visible. Linda Jones, the Public Relations Officer for the Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum (CPF), highlighted the case of one female learner who suffered a severe panic attack during Wednesday’s violence. The girl’s trauma was so acute that the mere sight of police officers the following morning triggered a second collapse.
"These incidents have a bad effect on our learners, and they should be condemned in the strongest form," Jones urged. "Our learners should be dealt with in all earnestness." On Thursday morning, the atmosphere at the school remained tense as various policing agencies conducted searches of learners at the gates, a stark reminder of the volatile environment.
The WCED has confirmed that it is awaiting a comprehensive report from the school leadership. Bronagh Hammond, the spokesperson for the department, stated that disciplinary processes would be initiated once the specific learners involved have been identified. "An incident during school hours resulted in conflict between learners," Hammond confirmed. "The school has, in the interim, suspended all soccer activities in the quad area. The WCED district office is following up with the school to determine what transpired and additional support required."
The decision to ban soccer—a sport often seen as a positive outlet for energy in impoverished areas—is a testament to the severity of the situation. Yet, for many in Mitchells Plain, the ban feels like a temporary plaster on a much deeper wound. The Western Cape has seen a staggering 454 incidents of assault reported in schools between January and July 2025 alone, with gang violence frequently spilling over from the streets into the classrooms.
The Mitchells Plain CPF has appealed to the "Safer Schools" programme to step up its efforts, echoing the sentiments of parents who feel that their children are no longer safe behind school gates. As the authorities investigate the "balls up" that led to Wednesday’s chaos, the community is left to grapple with the reality that for their children, a simple game of soccer can now be a life-threatening endeavour.
The question remains whether the suspension of sports and the presence of police will be enough to stem the tide of violence, or if Cedar High School will continue to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. For now, the quad remains empty, the soccer balls are locked away, and the learners of Mitchells Plain wait to see if they will ever truly be safe at school again.
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