- A teacher was stabbed and robbed of her cellphone at a Cape Town school.
- The incident took place in a Grade 2 classroom on Thursday.
- The teacher is receiving medical treatment for her stab wounds.
A teacher was stabbed by an intruder while at work at a Cape Town primary school.
The teacher was at the school in Bonteheuwel on Thursday morning when the perpetrator allegedly jumped over a high, wired and spiked perimeter fence and entered her Grade 2 classroom.
The perpetrator stabbed the teacher in the shoulder and ran off with her cellphone, said Western Cape education department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond.
"The WCED (Western Cape education department) is extremely disturbed by the news of a stabbing of one of our educators," said Hammond.
"SAPS was immediately called. The teacher is currently being medically treated. Thankfully, the wounds are not serious. However, such an incident is extremely traumatic for the teacher, the learners and the entire school community," he added.
Police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk said the stabbing took place on Wednesday shortly before 09:00.
Van Wyk said:
He said the teacher was taken to a nearby medical facility.
The education department has arranged for counselling support at the school, Hammond said.
"We are shocked by this incident and thankful that the teacher was not more seriously injured. It is unacceptable that criminals should target our teachers, who play such a vital role in our society," said Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier.
Maynier called on anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrator to contact the police.
Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie identified the school as Arcadia Primary.
"All law enforcement agencies at this point in time are looking for the individual," he added.
Anyone with information on the incident has been urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or the Bishop Lavis police station on 021 935 9800.