Hats off to the school governing body at Vukuzakhe High in uMlazi for expelling three pupils who assaulted another in a shameful bullying episode.
It was deeply upsetting to those seeing video footage of it on national television, and the 685 052 who had watched it by Monday morning on Facebook.
There could be no mild measures in this instance. The sickening sight of a trio of girls slapping the victim 40 times, kicking her four times, and twice throwing her to the floor, demanded a tough response.
An unequivocal message it was: “no such behaviour at our school!”. It was heard by a tribunal on Tuesday, the governing body had ejected them by Thursday. The promptness of the action also spoke to the contempt for it.
Only with bold rejection like this is there any hope of getting to grips with bullying. It is as prevalent at schools as it is repugnant, and by no means limited to children or places of learning.
It ranges from outright physical attack, like the Vukuzakhe incident, to menace and subtlety. Whatever its form, the psychological damage is lasting, according to experts.
Joan van Niekerk, activist against child abuse, has a bleak view: it is not being conquered. Youngsters imitate the violence they see in society, she says, and there is the danger of the targets perpetuating it by later turning into bullies themselves.
The school episode happened almost six months ago, and the question of all involved is why it took so long to surface. Where were those pupils who witnessed it, or got to hear about it? Did they care? And why were no parents alerted?
Why were teachers not told? Was there such bully terror that pupils dare not confide in teachers? Or were teachers told, perhaps, and did not consider it important?
These are questions the governing body and education officials should delve into, with a view to eradicating chances of a recurrence.