The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has requested heightened police visibility in Lotus River, following a shooting at a primary school in the area this week. 

The department confirmed that the incident took place in the vicinity of Die Duine Primary School on Wednesday afternoon, at around 14:40. 

The incident happened after school hours, as confirmed by WCED spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond. 

“Learners were being dismissed,” Hammond said. 

She further noted that no learners or staff were injured in the incident.  

However, another individual on the scene was wounded.  

“The incident involved a passenger in a parent’s vehicle who sustained a gunshot wound and was transported to hospital for medical treatment. Thankfully, no learners or staff members were physically injured.”

Hammond added that psychological support services have been arranged for the school. 

“A request for increased police visibility has also been made,” noted Hammond. 

This incident comes amid several shootings in the broader Grassy Park precinct, with the local Community Policing Forum calling on residents to work with police to tackle ongoing gun violence.  

The CPF’s Nicole Jacobus said there is so much uncertainty about when shootings can occur, and that causes a lot of fear in the community.  

“Our uniform staff, our police, our metro police, law enforcement can’t do this alone, without information. Even now that we have the army in our communities, information still needs to come from somewhere to combat the shooting in our communities,” said Jacobus.