Man concerned after daughter’s alleged attackers get off with slap on wrist

A father from Eersterust in Pretoria was left disappointed after his daughter’s attackers got off with a slap on the wrist after allegedly assaulting her in class.

The man from Eersterust was concerned about his 13-year-old daughter’s safety after she was allegedly assaulted at school twice in two months.

He said his daughter told him the group of girls started teasing her in the third period.

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“By the fifth period, a teacher told her and other pupils to stop eating in class. The teacher told my daughter to stop before her father runs to the school again.

“The children laughed at my daughter and one of the classmates said they have been waiting to [hit] her for a long time,” he claimed.

‘Teacher watched them attack her’

The dad claimed the classmate shoved his daughter and started hitting her, with seven other classmates joining in on the attack.

“The teacher was in class and stood by and watched them attack her,” he added.

He said he phoned the school immediately after finding out about the alleged assault.

“The incident wasn’t reported to me as the father, or at the school. I tried to contact the school about the assault on Friday afternoon, with no response until Monday,” he said.

The man said he was worried about his daughter.

“She tells me she doesn’t want to live any more and she’s tired of what was happening at school,” he said.

The father said every time his daughter was bullied at school, he played the pastor role and tried to help the children reconcile.

“But my father heart breaks and bleeds for my child,” he said.

His daughter was allegedly assaulted by another pupil in September.

“The acting principal promised me that my child would be safe and that it would never happen again. And then it happened again a month later,” he said.

Only one of the eight girls involved in the attack apologised for the assault.

The man said he felt as though the school and the teacher failed his child.

A case of assault has been reported to the local police.

In September, a group of concerned parents refused to reopen the school after allegations of sexual assault, abuse and bullying, the irregular appointment of teachers and teachers bullying children fell on deaf ears.

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Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona has denied most allegations involving teachers and the acting school principal allegedly responsible in the incidents.

Mabona said pupils assaulting each other were dealt with as per the code of conduct of the school.

“The school has identified all pupils involved in the scuffle. The district offered the pupils psychosocial assistance and social workers are still at the school extending necessary support,” he said.

Mabona did not respond if there was action taken against the teacher present during the alleged attack and added there was no case reported of pupils being assaulted under the supervision of a teacher.

“The department is continuously addressing the challenges within the school governing body.

“To this end, the school governing body is functional and by-elections are in the process of being scheduled in due course to fill vacancies,” he said.

Mabona said the district safety coordinator has held assemblies at the school to make pupils aware of bullying and hosted workshops on classroom management to staff.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za