South Africa - 16 Schools Closed Over Fears of Violence by Gangs - NYTimes.com Education officials in Western Cape Province on Thursday temporarily closed 16 schools, affecting 12,000 students, in Manenberg, an area near Cape Town, because of a spike in gang violence that has left teachers too afraid to go to work. One man was shot dead on Thursday in an area in Manenberg where many children play. Just weeks ago, a caretaker at one of the schools died after being shot and a stray bullet recently hit a primary school, said a spokeswoman for the Western Cape Education Ministry, Bronagh Casey. "We are closing the schools because our educators say they are unsafe going to the area to report for duty," Ms. Casey said. A police spokesman, Col. Tembinkosi Kinana, said that the situation in Manenberg was "undoubtedly bad" and that more police officers had been sent to the area to combat gang violence.