Parents held after pointing gun at Roodepoort school guard

Johannesburg - Police say a man and woman were arrested at the troubled Roodepoort Primary School on Tuesday morning for allegedly pointing a gun at the school's security guard.

Police said the woman had apparently demanded to see the principal, but when asked to sign in first, the two had refused.

A parent at the school, however, claimed the woman was assaulted by the guard.

Warrant Officer Nonhlanhla Khumalo said: "The man had a firearm on his belt, and the woman grabbed it and pointed it at the guard."

She said the two were then arrested. 

They were expected to appear in the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court soon on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, pointing a firearm, and assault. 

A parent from the school told News24 that the woman was assaulted by the guard. 

"One of the parents went inside in the morning to collect their child. She then had an argument with security there, and they sprayed her in her face with teargas while other children were around," Michelle Jacobs said.  

Khumalo could not confirm the teargas claim, or whether the guard had allegedly used pepper spray. 

Jacobs claimed after the woman was sprayed, someone called the woman's husband, who arrived on the scene. They were both then arrested.

Last month, Gauteng MEC Panyaza Lesufi said residents tried to disrupt teaching at the school as it reopened for the new term. 

Lesufi said in June that he was closing down the school, but would reopen it in the new term and would "have a plan in place".

It was the second time that Lesufi had taken drastic action against the school.

In April, he also decided to close it down, but reopened it several days later.

The school was the site of several protests, and in one case police had to fire rubber bullets.

The parents of the pupils allegedly demanded a coloured principal. They claimed the process of appointing black principal Nomathemba Molefe was flawed.

Later they alleged that there was maladministration by the principal and the governing body chair.

Lesufi said at the time that one of the reasons he initially closed the school was because residents had wanted to burn it down.

In June, Lesufi confirmed that the community had carried out their threat and had petrol bombed the principal's office.