ANC shocked by bullying video

A screengrab from a video that went viral on the internet shows a pupil from Vukuzahke High School in Umlazi being slapped.

A screengrab from a video that went viral on the internet shows a pupil from Vukuzahke High School in Umlazi being slapped.

Published Feb 19, 2015

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Durban - Parents and teachers should work together to address bullying in schools, the ANC said on Thursday.

KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress secretary Sihle Zikalala said reports that a grade nine pupil was filmed being beaten and bullied by other pupils was shocking.

“Our schools should be places of learning and teaching and not the centres of bullying.”

He urged teachers and parents to make an effort to address the matter.

“It is a responsibility of parents to regularly ask their children if they are not victims of bullying or if they know anyone who is bullied.

“Teachers and those who manage school dormitories should do the same so that we can deal with the problem of bullying,” Zikalala said.

The Mercury reported that the video recording of the schoolgirl being slapped, shoved and kicked by two other pupils had gone viral.

The video was reportedly taken in September at Vukuzakhe High School, but only surfaced recently.

In the video, the girl is repeatedly slapped and shoved while sitting on a bed. She is then kicked, while on the floor, in her abdomen several times while denying accusations made against her, The Mercury reported.

One of the bullies asks the girl: “Do you still want to be my child?”

The girl says “yes”.

The Mercury said it appeared that the girl was being attacked for ignoring one of the bullies after they had summoned her.

According to The Mercury, the two bullies were in grade 11 and the girl in grade nine.

“The pupils were suspended immediately after the department was made aware of the video,” provincial education department spokesman Isaac Luthuli was quoted as saying.

He said a tribunal was held on Tuesday where recommendations were made.

“The school's governing body will sit tomorrow [Thursday] and will look at the recommendations and take it from there,” he said.

Sapa

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