Violence Erupts at Addington Primary Over Learner Enrolment Amid Education Resource Strains

Violent scenes unfolded at Addington Primary School in Durban on Wednesday as tensions over learner enrolment saw South African parents and foreign nationals clashing in full view of children.

The confrontation highlighted deeper societal challenges around access to education in a province struggling with limited resources.

Professor Wayne Hugo, an educational expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, described the unrest as “worrying” and suggested that beneath the surface lay a “dark and nasty” development, fuelled by coercion and desperation among parents competing for scarce public resources.

As one of the few functional schools in Durban’s CBD, Addington has become a focal point for mounting pressure caused by systemic education failures in the province. Tensions escalated on Wednesday when local parents accused the school of giving preference to foreign learners over South African children.

Frustrated that their children were allegedly being overlooked, parents attempted to conduct a headcount of foreign learners as they exited the school, leading to chaos. SAPS and metro police intervened swiftly, using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

The unrest follows reports from last week that 66 local children had been denied admission due to space constraints. Local activist groups, including March and March, voiced outrage, citing claims that as many as 90% of the school’s pupils were children of foreign nationals.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education refuted the claims. Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said that of the 1,543 learners enrolled at Addington, 968 were South African and 575 were foreign nationals.

“The Department rejects claims that foreign learners are being prioritised over South Africans. The majority of learners at the school are South African,” Mahlambi said.

Professor Hugo warned that ongoing protests targeting foreign learners could backfire. “The school becomes poorer, more fragile, and unstable. If parents withdraw their children due to fear of conflict, funding weakens, and the educational experience for all learners declines,” he said, cautioning against actions that could have far-reaching consequences for the local education system.

Civil organisation Operation Dudula has vowed to continue protests until their demands for increased admission of South African learners are met, with demonstrations planned for Friday — a move that could further destabilise the already fragile school environment.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal weighed in, praising the education department’s efforts to resolve the dispute and restore stability. The party also condemned reckless statements and behaviour during the conflict, warning that such actions threatened social cohesion and mutual respect within the community.

DAILY NEWS