CMY3701
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
,CMY3701
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
Case Study: Killing of Teacher by Learner in Ikgomotseng Township
(Adapted from T. Setena, Bloem EXPRESS, 2022)
Matefo Mphosela, a 35-year-old physical science teacher at Kagisano Combined
School in Soutpan, was fatally stabbed at her home in Ikgomotseng township by a 21-
year-old Grade 12 learner from the same school. The incident, which occurred around
21:00, has shocked the local community and raised concerns about violence involving
schools. The learner, a male taught by Mphosela in mathematics and physical science,
was arrested shortly after the attack. The motive for the murder remains unclear.
Mphosela was a dedicated educator, credited with significantly improving the school’s
academic performance, with Grade 12 physical science pass rates of 85% in 2019, 82%
in 2020, and 84.2% in 2021. Nameng Sehloho, the school principal, described her as a
“consummate educator” and a “paragon of the noble teaching profession.” Howard
Ndaba, spokesperson for the Free State Department of Education, noted that the MEC
of Education, Tate Makgoe, commended the police for their prompt arrest and planned
to visit Mphosela’s bereaved family in Botshabelo the following day. The incident has
left the school and wider community grappling with grief and questions about preventing
such tragedies in the future.
, Question 1.1: Critically Evaluate How the Social Structure of Ikgomotseng
Township May Have Influenced the Learner’s Behaviour Using Strain Theory
Introduction: Reframing Strain in Context
To understand the violent act committed by the 21-year-old Grade 12 learner from
Ikgomotseng, we must explore how embedded structural conditions influence
behaviour. Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) expands beyond classical
criminology by emphasizing how negative emotions resulting from blocked goals, loss,
or harmful stimuli lead to deviance when legitimate coping mechanisms are unavailable.
Within South African township contexts, this theory is especially useful for
understanding patterns of violence rooted in systemic inequality.
Strain Theory and Structural Violence
Agnew (1992) identifies three major sources of strain:
1. Failure to achieve culturally valued goals
2. Removal of positive stimuli
3. Exposure to negative stimuli
These are not simply individual frustrations but represent structural violence in places
like Ikgomotseng, where poverty, failing institutions, and generational trauma are
widespread. These chronic conditions produce psychological strain that can manifest
violently.
Application to Ikgomotseng Township
Blocked Goals and Aspirational Collapse
The township’s socio-economic makeup likely denied the learner access to achieving
conventional success. Being 21 and still in Grade 12 reflects academic exclusion or
repeated failure. In a school like Kagisano Combined School, which maintains a pass
rate above 85%, pressure mounts on learners to perform despite unequal starting
points. This creates a dangerous emotional dynamic: high expectations without the
means to meet them.
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
,CMY3701
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
Case Study: Killing of Teacher by Learner in Ikgomotseng Township
(Adapted from T. Setena, Bloem EXPRESS, 2022)
Matefo Mphosela, a 35-year-old physical science teacher at Kagisano Combined
School in Soutpan, was fatally stabbed at her home in Ikgomotseng township by a 21-
year-old Grade 12 learner from the same school. The incident, which occurred around
21:00, has shocked the local community and raised concerns about violence involving
schools. The learner, a male taught by Mphosela in mathematics and physical science,
was arrested shortly after the attack. The motive for the murder remains unclear.
Mphosela was a dedicated educator, credited with significantly improving the school’s
academic performance, with Grade 12 physical science pass rates of 85% in 2019, 82%
in 2020, and 84.2% in 2021. Nameng Sehloho, the school principal, described her as a
“consummate educator” and a “paragon of the noble teaching profession.” Howard
Ndaba, spokesperson for the Free State Department of Education, noted that the MEC
of Education, Tate Makgoe, commended the police for their prompt arrest and planned
to visit Mphosela’s bereaved family in Botshabelo the following day. The incident has
left the school and wider community grappling with grief and questions about preventing
such tragedies in the future.
, Question 1.1: Critically Evaluate How the Social Structure of Ikgomotseng
Township May Have Influenced the Learner’s Behaviour Using Strain Theory
Introduction: Reframing Strain in Context
To understand the violent act committed by the 21-year-old Grade 12 learner from
Ikgomotseng, we must explore how embedded structural conditions influence
behaviour. Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) expands beyond classical
criminology by emphasizing how negative emotions resulting from blocked goals, loss,
or harmful stimuli lead to deviance when legitimate coping mechanisms are unavailable.
Within South African township contexts, this theory is especially useful for
understanding patterns of violence rooted in systemic inequality.
Strain Theory and Structural Violence
Agnew (1992) identifies three major sources of strain:
1. Failure to achieve culturally valued goals
2. Removal of positive stimuli
3. Exposure to negative stimuli
These are not simply individual frustrations but represent structural violence in places
like Ikgomotseng, where poverty, failing institutions, and generational trauma are
widespread. These chronic conditions produce psychological strain that can manifest
violently.
Application to Ikgomotseng Township
Blocked Goals and Aspirational Collapse
The township’s socio-economic makeup likely denied the learner access to achieving
conventional success. Being 21 and still in Grade 12 reflects academic exclusion or
repeated failure. In a school like Kagisano Combined School, which maintains a pass
rate above 85%, pressure mounts on learners to perform despite unequal starting
points. This creates a dangerous emotional dynamic: high expectations without the
means to meet them.
