DURBAN – The national Department of Basic Education and the KwaZulu-Natal Education department have condemned a video that surfaced on social media, showing a pupil being assaulted by another at a KZN school. 

In the video, the boy pupil is seen throwing the girl pupil against the wall, before she falls to the ground. He then kicks her repeatedly, before walking away.
The girl pupil struggles to get up and appears to be bleeding.

The two looked to be in high school. The KZN department is investigating the school involved in the incident. They were both wearing school uniforms in the video and it appeared to have been filmed on school premises.

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A shocking video of a schoolgirl being violently assaulted by a male schoolmate, at what is believed to be a KwaZulu-Natal school, has surfaced on social media

On a statement, the KZN department said the incident was a bullying incident and called for people on social media to halt the sharing of the video, while the national department referred to the incident as gender based violence. 

DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said in a statement: “The DBE has condemned this violence in the strongest terms possible and such will not be tolerated within the school environment and should not be tolerated in our society at large. 

“The department will ensure that the strongest action possible is taken against the offending learner. We view gender based violence in a very serious light and we expect the police to ensure that the perpetrator is brought to justice as a matter of urgency”. 

The department said medical examination and support would be sought for the victim once she had been identified. 

“We want our learners to refrain from any acts of violence and misconduct in and outside the school environment. This type of action is a criminal offense and will need to be dealt with harshly,” said Mhlanga.

Meanwhile, the provincial department said they were working hard to eliminate bullying at KZN schools. 

KZN Department of Education spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said: “We expect all our schools to have an anti-bullying policy that seeks to protect all children. It is very important that learners know that all forms of bullying are totally unacceptable within the school”. 

Mthethwa said the bullying by the perpetrator was often a sign that they had problems at home.  

“We therefore call upon teachers, parents, SGB & the society at large to report such incidents to our authorities as and when it occurs. In addition, the department is prepared to work with the bully to help them find alternative ways of behaving,” said Mthethwa.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE

Categories: Education