St Boniface learners attack hostel father

Sixteen grade 11 learners from St Boniface College were found guilty of attacking a 39-year-old hostel father last year. They severely injured the man after they allegedly kicked and beat him with brooms and stones.

The learners also damaged the windows of hostel father’s room, which they stoned.

The victim, Raphael Shapwa, who has since lost his job, is currently fighting the school through the Rundu Labour Office, saying he was unfairly dismissed because of the fight with the learners.

According to Shapwa, who headed the senior male section at the school at the time, the incident happened on 10 November 2021 around 23:00 when he was drawn to the boys’ dormitory when the learners were playing loud music.

He said upon trying to establish where the sound was coming from, he was drawn into the learners’ room, who allegedly locked the dormitory and switched off the electricity at the main switch before attacking him.

“I did not know where I was, all I could feel was punches, broom sticks and stones. I was overpowered and all I could do was run away. I managed to run away but they kept on following me and they ended up stoning my room,” he narrated.

The police were called in to attend to the incident, but the learners were not arrested. The learners, who were removed from the hostel and suspended from school, were allowed to write their examinations.

Let go

After the incident, St Boniface management terminated Shapwa’s services, saying it’s in the best interest of the school to let him go.

Together with another staff member, Petrus Munango, who was also let go, he was turned to the labour office to get their jobs back.

The two told Namibian Sun that since a November 2020 demonstration, learners at the school have been defiant and disrespectful to staff members.

“The discipline at the school dropped severely since that demonstration. The learners do what they want and the management does nothing because the children will demonstrate again and they don’t want that,” Shapwa said.

He also revealed that last year he confiscated about four cellphones from learners, despite the school’s strict no-phone policy.

Insulting learners

St Boniface principal Roseline Sebastian refused to comment on the issue, adding that it’s being dealt with by their legal advisor at the labour office.

On the attack on Shapwa, she said the fight was a result of him insulting one of the learners earlier that day.

She showed Namibian Sun the incident report written by Shapwa in which he admitted that he insulted a learner the morning of the incident after the leaner jumped the breakfast queue, took bread from a tray and refused to put it back.

Sebastian said management engaged Shapwa prior to terminating his contract.

“We talked to him and explained that it’s in the best interest of the school. What will the parents say if we allow him back at the school and it happens again? We agreed to give all his advances and a good testimonial,” she said.

The principal said the school has since created a new position for a hostel superintendent, which has been filled.

Asked about the discipline at the school, she said: “Everything is fine now. We have amended our school rules to deal with issues decisively. We are good now and the learners are in good spirits”.

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