Pastor Mboro arrested following incident at Katlehong school

Mboro

Cape Town — Police have arrested Pastor Mboro and three others following the tragic incident that occurred at the Matshidiso Primary School in Katlehong on Monday.

Mboro, who claimed to be the alleged grandfather of two boys at the school, arrived at the school with armed bodyguards, wielding weapons and threatening to take the children with him.

The incident, which was captured on video, prompted an immediate investigation by police. Police spokesperson, Colonel Noxolo Kweza, said four people were arrested, TimesLIVE reported.

He said the suspects will appear in the Palm Ridge court in due course and currently face charges of assault, handling a firearm recklessly, malicious damage to property, and intimidation.

He said a replica firearm was confiscated, while one of the men was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer at the Katlehong police station.

Kweza said more arrests could not yet be ruled out.

The incident was first reported by the Gauteng Department of Education, which condemned the tragic incident. Videos of Mboro started circulating on social media which showed Mboro entering the school with weapons and threatening the teachers inside, a statement said.

Another man was seen grabbing two learners, who were involved in the fight and were wielding assault rifles. The department said such incidents should never take place near schools.

“According to a preliminary report at our disposal, a conflict between two families over the custody of the boy learners enrolled at the school, in Grade RR and Grade 2, has been escalating. It is said that the mother of the children passed away in April this year, leading to a dispute between the paternal and maternal sides of the family,” Department spokesperson, Steve Mabona, said.

On the day of the incident, the boy’s father met with the school’s principal. Later that day, the maternal grandmother (the alleged guardian) also met with the principal to report him over an incident that occurred over the weekend, involving the pastor.

The Deputy Principal and staff then refused to release the children with the grandmother’s permission. The community got involved in the incident and the principal and School Governing Body (SGB) reported the issue to the police.

The department said it would provide psycho-social support to learners affected by the incident. Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, said learners’ safety is their priority and such acts of violence undermine the foundations of the education system.

“The Department is committed to ensuring that justice is served. We will not tolerate any acts of violence or intimidation and will take all necessary measures to protect our learners and educators,” he said.

In the video shared to X, Mboro and the gunman are seen arguing with the man alleged to be the father of the two boys, who are also seen in the video. The incident escalated when teachers tried to get involved to prevent the Pastor from taking the children.

The gate, which was separating the pastor and the children, is opened and the boys, who are crying at this point, are trying to be taken to safety when the pastor follows them and starts wielding the panga violently.

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Picture: X/@Nkullu07

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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