Johannesburg - A high school in Ebony Park near Midrand was reeling on Wednesday after one of its pupils was fatally stabbed by another learner earlier this week.
"He was a quiet boy. He never bothered anyone and he always greeted us," a security guard from the Tsosoloso ya Afrika Secondary School told News24.
"He always listened when we told him to follow the school rules and take off anything that was not part of the school uniform," she said.
The 21-year-old Songezo Mabindla died on the school premises on Monday following an argument with another pupil, after reportedly being stabbed with a pair of scissors.
School officials called the police and emergency personnel and the perpetrator was arrested, the department of education said.
Just before 13:00, Mabindla's classmates filled the hall of a nearby school for a memorial service.
Dressed in their blue, green and white school uniforms, the learners entered the hall with their chairs in hand.
Pictures of their slain classmate were put up on the walls of the hall.
Mabindla's relatives, most of whom were dressed in black, occupied the first few seats in the hall.
They looked on as the students filled the hall.
Most of the teachers at the school were dressed in black and white.
They declined to speak to News24.
"Everyone is still in shock. They won't speak to you," said one man who works at the school.