A Wittebome High School learner is nursing painful injuries after a break-time altercation with a classmate turned violently physical, resulting in one of his teeth being knocked out and leaving his family deeply concerned for his ongoing safety.
According to the Daily Voice, the conflict reportedly began in the classroom over confiscated cellphones. The grandfather of the injured boy, who spoke about the ordeal, explained that his grandson handed over his phone when the teacher requested it. However, a classmate refused.
It was when his grandson told the teacher where he hid his phone that the situation intensified. The classmate then allegedly swore at the educator.
The tension then boiled over during the break, as the grandfather described a sudden ambush in the schoolyard, stating the other boy ‘just came to my grandson and damaged his whole face, he even hit one of his big teeth out of his mouth.’ Following the assault, the alleged attacker reportedly jumped the school fence and fled the premises.
For the family, this was not an isolated event. The boy’s Grandfather claimed this was part of a pattern of behaviour, revealing, ‘Last Friday, he nearly stabbed my grandson.’
He expressed immense frustration, feeling the individual is getting away with too much and acts ‘like a gangster inside and outside of school.’
The family now fear for the boy’s commute. ‘My grandson can’t even take a taxi to school, because we need to make sure he gets in safely,’ the grandfather noted.
He also alleged that after school hours, the same learner and his friends, who don’t attend Wittebome, often target pupils leaving the premises.
Confirming the incident, a spokesperson from the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) stated that the school is taking formal disciplinary action.
‘A grade 8 learner allegedly assaulted a classmate and left the premises without permission,’ officials noted
School staff immediately attended to the injured learner and contacted the parents of both students involved. In their account of events, the altercation ‘allegedly followed online and media incidents over the weekend,’ suggesting the conflict may have started or been fuelled by interactions outside of school.
The WCED also confirmed that their district-based support team will step in to provide assistance to the learners affected by this distressing event.
This bullying incident comes after a viral video of a Milnerton High School assault ignited national outrage over school safety
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