Durban - The Shallcross teenager who was nearly paralysed in a bullying incident still has not returned to school.
Despite being promoted to Grade 12 at Marklands Secondary in Chatsworth, Zhane Abubakr has opted to move to his parents’ home in Gauteng.
Zhane, 18, was admitted to hospital after two pupils performed a dangerous television wrestling manoeuvre on him – the tombstone piledriver.
The teenager has not been back to school since the incident last July.
His grandfather, Pastor Bobby Moodley, said on Sunday that Zhane remained obsessed by the incident and spoke about it frequently.
Moodley said Marklands Secondary had promoted Zhane to Grade 12, but he had decided against going, fearing the bullies.
He is set to go to Joburg next week, where he will live with his parents in Germiston and attend school there.
Zhane was dropped head-first on to a concrete pavement, fracturing his fourth and fifth vertebrae.
He underwent a number of surgeries and was told by doctors two weeks later that he would walk again.
Four pupils were arrested and charged with the assault.
“He doesn’t want to go back to school here any more, but we are speaking with his parents and they are organising him a school there. He must complete his matric. I won’t allow him to stay out of school, but he doesn’t want to go back to that school again,” Moodley said.
Workshop
He said his grandson had spent his time assisting in the family’s car repair workshop.
“There are other youngsters at the workshop. They try and make him forget about that incident because that’s all he talks about,” said Moodley.
Zhane was also still suffering from pain, but was making progress, Moodley said.
“I am teaching him to heal and forgive. He’s very scared of the boys – the way that they injured him is frightening. Even the wrestlers on TV say, ‘Please don’t try this at home,’ so it’s still a concern for him that he would have to be in the same school with them,” he said.
Moodley said he had forgiven the bullies, and was now praying that his grandson would do the same – but he still wanted the judicial process to take its course.
“I can’t do anything now, I just want to see what the outcome will be and whatever it is, I will be fine with it. The Bible says forgive, and I want Zhane to forgive them,” he said.
The accused appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday and the matter was postponed.
They will appear again in court on February 21.
Daily News