PUPILS from Sithembele Matiso High School in Nyanga, Cape Town said they fear going to school because of a teacher.
This is because the teacher allegedly moers them. On Thursday, 24 August, the teacher allegedly hit all the pupils from a grade 11 class except for four.
“He moered us because we didn’t bring some books to class, only four people had the books. It’s not the first time. We have been punished for a long time by the teacher and we kept quiet.
"But we have had enough. We cannot go on like this because some other kids are now skipping some lessons as they fear getting beaten up,” said a pupil (18).
The latest incident, which was captured on camera by one of the pupils happened on Thursday. In the video, the teacher could be seen beating up a male pupil on his buttocks with what looked like a stick.
Pupils who spoke Daily Sun said the girls were given four strokes on their hands, while the boys were given the option to choose between receiving two strokes on the buttocks or four strokes on the hand.
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“My hand is injured,” said one of the pupils who showed the SunTeam a bandaged hand.
A pupil who refused to be beaten up was told to go home and bring a parent. But the girl allegedly never returned to school on Friday, 25 August and on Monday, 28 August.
A parent said her 17-year-old son told her that he was beaten up by the teacher.
The parent said:
Both pupils and parents said they have not opened any cases with the police but want to engage with the department.
Western Cape Education spokeswoman, Bronagh Hammond, said they will investigate the incident.
“These are very serious allegations which will be investigated. The South African Schools Act (SASA), 1996 (Act 84 of 1996) and the National Education Policy Act (NEPA), 1996 (Act 27 of 1996) clearly ban corporal punishment in our schools. Corporal punishment shall, by implication, be regarded as an act of assault,” said Hammond.
The department said they have already dispatched a specialised team to the school for counselling support.
“Labour relations have been informed and an investigation will commence,” said Hammond.
