CMY3701
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
,CMY3701
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
EXCEPTIONAL ANSWERS
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: Contextualizing Ikgomotseng Through a Criminological Lens
The violent act committed by a 21-year-old Grade 12 learner in Ikgomotseng township
cannot be adequately understood without probing the social architecture shaping his
lived experience. Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) offers a potent lens through
which to interpret how cumulative structural disadvantages—poverty, under-resourced
education, broken family systems, and environmental stressors—can converge into a
combustible emotional landscape that fuels deviant behaviour. In a society where
township residents are systematically marginalized, understanding strain is not merely
academic—it is urgent.
Agnew’s General Strain Theory: A Precision Tool for Socio-Criminological
Analysis
Agnew (1992) builds on classical strain theories by expanding the sources of strain and
emphasizing the emotional responses they provoke. GST identifies three types of strain:
the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the removal of positively valued stimuli,
and exposure to negative stimuli. These strains trigger negative emotions such as anger
or frustration, which, when not mediated by healthy coping mechanisms or support
systems, can manifest in delinquency or violence. The theory is uniquely relevant in the
context of townships like Ikgomotseng, where socio-economic pressures are not
temporary aberrations but sustained conditions.
Application to Ikgomotseng Township
Failure to Achieve Positively Valued Goals
Townships like Ikgomotseng are often characterized by systemic barriers to educational
and economic mobility. The learner, being older than his peers and still in Grade 12,
likely experienced repeated academic failure. Kagisano Combined School’s high pass
rates—over 80% consistently—suggest a culture of excellence, possibly driven by
Mphosela’s firm academic standards. While this environment may motivate high
achievers, it can simultaneously alienate those who struggle.
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
,CMY3701
Assignment 1
Semester 2
DUE 18 August 2025
EXCEPTIONAL ANSWERS
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: Contextualizing Ikgomotseng Through a Criminological Lens
The violent act committed by a 21-year-old Grade 12 learner in Ikgomotseng township
cannot be adequately understood without probing the social architecture shaping his
lived experience. Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) offers a potent lens through
which to interpret how cumulative structural disadvantages—poverty, under-resourced
education, broken family systems, and environmental stressors—can converge into a
combustible emotional landscape that fuels deviant behaviour. In a society where
township residents are systematically marginalized, understanding strain is not merely
academic—it is urgent.
Agnew’s General Strain Theory: A Precision Tool for Socio-Criminological
Analysis
Agnew (1992) builds on classical strain theories by expanding the sources of strain and
emphasizing the emotional responses they provoke. GST identifies three types of strain:
the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the removal of positively valued stimuli,
and exposure to negative stimuli. These strains trigger negative emotions such as anger
or frustration, which, when not mediated by healthy coping mechanisms or support
systems, can manifest in delinquency or violence. The theory is uniquely relevant in the
context of townships like Ikgomotseng, where socio-economic pressures are not
temporary aberrations but sustained conditions.
Application to Ikgomotseng Township
Failure to Achieve Positively Valued Goals
Townships like Ikgomotseng are often characterized by systemic barriers to educational
and economic mobility. The learner, being older than his peers and still in Grade 12,
likely experienced repeated academic failure. Kagisano Combined School’s high pass
rates—over 80% consistently—suggest a culture of excellence, possibly driven by
Mphosela’s firm academic standards. While this environment may motivate high
achievers, it can simultaneously alienate those who struggle.
