Cape Town - Cops have arrested a stable hand after he allegedly undressed two children, tied them up and beat them with a belt.
It is believed the man became angry after he allegedly caught the boys stoning his horses, which are stabled at a Mitchells Plain high school.
A teacher and another staff member found the bruised and frightened children cold, hungry and still tied up in the stable at Portland High School.
The man was arrested on 17 October on a charge of assault.
The Western Cape Education Department has since instructed the school to have the stable removed.
The WCED says the boys, aged 12 and 14, do not attend the school.
A worker at the school says the stable had been on the premises for a few months and that the owner employed the man to look after the horses.
Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut confirms the arrest: “On Tuesday, October 17, at about 2pm, Mitchells Plain police received a complaint of assault. The suspect had accused the victims of throwing stones at his horse. He hit them with a belt several times. The matter has been referred to Mitchells Plain Family Violence and Sexual Offences Unit. A case of assault is being investigated.”
The staff member says they were shocked to find the children bound up inside the stable.
“Their hands and feet were tied up with gut. They were blue (of cold and shock), so we suspect they must have been there for a while,” says the worker.
“We don’t know who these children are or where they live.”
Jessica Shelver, spokesperson for Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, says the school has a sports field at the back of the grounds which is cordoned off.
She says the incident happened after school hours.
“The owner of the horses has since been requested to vacate the premises.”
The Daily Voice could not reach the owner of the horses.