Update | 11 March:
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) confirmed that the Grade 1 teacher at Thembalethu Primary School, connected to the viral ‘Pie day’ video, has been suspended as a formal investigation by the Labour Relations Directorate pends, reports Cape {town} Etc.
The suspension comes after WCED district officials were dispatched to engage with demonstrators protesting outside the school on Wednesday. The community members, who had forced their way onto the school grounds, were calling for action to be taken against the teacher.
According to the WCED, the teacher recorded the video on Tuesday during the school’s ‘pie day’ fundraising event and later sent it to the parents’ WhatsApp group, allegedly to highlight that the young child was the only student who had not received a pie and juice during the fundraising event.
The department, which described the video as unacceptable, also confirmed that the teacher did eventually give the child a pie and a drink.
‘It has since been established that the teacher had in fact purchased the fundraising item for the pupil, who received it after the filming of the video,’ said WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond. ‘The manner in which this was done, however, was totally inappropriate.’
Meanwhile, Emerge Africa Humanitarian Award winner and social media influencer Mandisi Tshingana has since raised over R40 000 for the young pupil.
The internet went into a frenzy, sparking a heated debate after a video showed a young boy with no pie lunch at school because he hadn’t paid.
In the video that has since gone viral, school children were in class eating pies and downing them with juice, while a young boy covered his face as the teacher was capturing the video.
The teacher could be heard in the background citing that all the children paid for lunch, and there was nothing she could do.
WATCH: The internet is abuzz after Thembalethu Primary School teacher recorded herself shouting children while eating and one child had nothing to eat, boy covered his face as the teacher continued to record.
On the video she says the is nothing she can do as the mother of the… pic.twitter.com/e7sozoOQxA
— PSAFLIVE (@PSAFLIVE) March 10, 2026
The video touched many hearts and had some social media users calling for donations towards the boy’s lunch. The Emerge Africa Humanitarian Award winner and social media influencer, Mandisi Tshingana, heeded the call and started collecting donations.
The latest figures that he presented were R30 102.81 set to be donated to the parents of the boy.
X (formerly Twitter) users weighed in:
I will never forget my Grade 4 teacher for treating me this way. To this date I always relate to my learners how my teacher would isolate me, treat me this way because my dad couldn’t afford money for dance lessons and trips. Learners donated for my airport trip.. i never sat… https://t.co/WSLaIVsdMD
— Sizwe (@mehlulisizwe) March 11, 2026
What a horrible person she is. Utterly disgusting. He is just a child, why do that to a child 💔 https://t.co/zphExinoSz
— MaMhlanga Nompumelelo (@Mpumiln) March 10, 2026
The EVIL WITCH has been identified the School is in George eKappa https://t.co/4RZGjHehA7 pic.twitter.com/zkoaIlR15R
— Poison Chalice (@ChalicePoison) March 11, 2026
Let’s find the parents of that young and chip in few coins … and that teacher must be found too 😩😩
— ChrisExcel (@ChrisExcel102) March 10, 2026
Also read:
Picture: Screenshot from video
Words: Zintle Mdaka / Bona Magazine
