KwaMhlanga – A Grade 8 learner has been fatally stabbed by a fellow learner from Senzangakhona Secondary School, at Mandela Village, near KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga.
The Mpumalanga Department of Education said the deadly incident in the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality occurred on Thursday, 14 August 2025.
Spokesperson Jasper Zwane said the department was “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic passing of a Grade 8 learner”.
Detailing events leading to the tragedy on Thursday, the department said: “According to preliminary reports, the learner was fatally stabbed by a fellow Grade 8 learner at approximately 15:00 this afternoon while they were returning home from school”.
Teachers were alerted about the incident by other learners and immediately rushed to the scene.
“Upon arrival, they contacted emergency medical services, who sadly declared the learner deceased on site,” the department said.
“The incident was reported to the South African Police Service, and the parents of the deceased learner were informed.
“The suspect, who is also a Grade 8 learner at the same school, was subsequently apprehended by the Police.”
However, the department said the circumstances leading to this tragic event remain unclear and were under investigation by the police.
The department extended its “deepest condolences to the bereaved family, friends, classmates, and the entire school community during this time of immense grief”.
To support those affected, the department said it was deploying officials from the Wellness Section and Inclusive Education to provide psychosocial services to both the family and the school.
Speaking to The Bulrushes on Friday morning, 15 August 2025, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli said: “We can confirm that a murder case is being investigated following a fatal stabbing of a Grade 8 learner.
“The suspect was arrested, and we must take note that whenever a minor is suspected of having been involved in criminal activities, we work in collaboration with probation officers according to the Child Justice Act.
“So we will allow that process to unfold.”
Brigadier Mdhluli added: “So as the police, we are investigating… We strongly condemn the tragic incident, especially as it happened within a space where learning should take place.
“We are working closely with the department of education in the province to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.”
