By Selaki Ledwaba.
Five pupils have been suspended from David Mama Secondary School in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, amid a probe into claims of bullying.
The suspensions come after a video emerged on social media showing a female pupil being slapped and pushed around by other children from the same school while riding in a school transport vehicle.
The bus driver has also been suspended.
Other pupils are seen laughing and recording the incident without intervening.
Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade said the bullying claims will be investigated over the next two weeks.
“The affected learner is going to be given emotional support and health support as she indicated pain in her head,” said Gade.
“The department has a strong policy, as outlined in the BELA Act, to fight against bullying in all schools. Further to this, DBE has signed a safety protocol with SAPS for purposes of fighting violence, drug abuse, bullying at school, whilst also taking part in doing random checks in all flagged violent schools in the country.”
The department has assured the public that the investigation report will be made available to all affected parties as soon as the probe has been concluded.
More than 3.2 million learners are bullied yearly in South Africa. More than 67% of bully victims will not ask a teacher for help because they don’t think it will change their situation. 90% of school bullying is carried out by learners.
Bullying constitutes a significant challenge to school and child safety. It is arguably one of the most underrated and enduring problems in schools today, and while adults are often unaware of bullying, research shows that it is a reality in the lives of most South African children, whether they are bullies, victims or witnesses.