‘When I turned around, he just fell down dead’
A 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death at a Cape Flats school, in an incident believed to be gang-related.
|||Cape Town - A 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death at a Cape Flats school, allegedly by a fellow pupil.
Carlo Basson, a Grade 11 pupil at Scottsdene High School in Kraaifontein, was stabbed through the heart and passed away at the tap where he had his last drink of water.
Police have arrested the 15-year-old suspect for the attack.
The Western Cape Education Department has now deployed two security guards to the school.
A 14-year-old girl tells the Daily Voice she had spoken to Carlo moments before he died: “I saw Carlo during the break and he still asked me for money.
“I gave him a R1, and he went to get water at the quad’s tap.
“When I turned around again, he just fell down dead.
“The bell to end our break had just sounded. I was frozen in shock.”
Carlo had lived with his grandmother, Annie Pieterse, 64.
His mom lives in Pretoria.
The grieving granny says he made her a cup of tea that morning before he left for school.
“We got a call at 11:20am to say he was stabbed,” says Annie.
“On Wednesday evening, we went to church and he rang the church bell and received Holy Communion. He was that kind of child.”
Jessica Shelver, spokesperson to the MEC for Education, says trauma counselling has been provided for the learners and teachers.
Shelver says: “The suspect is believed to be a Grade 10 learner and the incident is allegedly gang-related.
“The school was dismissed early amid a heavy police presence in the area. Two security guards will be on duty at the school from today.”
But granny Annie insists Carlo was not a gangster.
“He was not a gangster. He had a lots of friends who were, but he was not,” she says.
“My grandson cared for me. He even put my socks on. He was my everything, now I have nothing.”
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says a case of murder is being investigated: “The alleged perpetrator was arrested and will appear in the Kuils River Magistrate’s Court today.”
Daily Voice