Bullied 14-year-old demands compensation
The boy’s mother did not let up in pursuing charges against the boys who tortured her son over a hellish three-month period
The mother of a 14-year-old boy from Ladysmith who was bullied at Voortrekker Hoërskool in Pietermaritzburg refused to allow her son to go back to the school where he endured months of alleged hazing, brutal torture and humiliation. Since the story broke, the family has pursued charges against the bullies at the school and they are now demanding a hefty settlement.
For those that have not followed the story from the beginning, here is a brief summary.
On Monday, June 2, the mother went to Pietermaritzburg to open a case against the prefects who burnt her son with a steam iron at the school.
After a meeting with police, she spoke to the Head of Department, Mr Duma, and the investigating officer, Mr Bouwer, and they tried to convince her that her son would not be bullied ever again. She, however, refused any offers of a safe return to the school. The Ladysmith boy who was attending the school had third degree burns on his buttocks from where prefects had branded him with a steam iron. The wound went untreated for weeks.
More pupils from Voortrekker Hoërskool broke their silence and came out with their own harrowing stories of abuse in the wake of the article that appeared in the Natal Witness.
The Ladysmith boy’s mother did not let up in pursuing charges against the boys who tortured her son over a hellish three-month period. The three boys were stripped of their prefect status and may no longer take part in any school sport or social activity. They have also been removed from the school’s boarding establishment.
The 14-year-old former Voortrekker High School pupil from Ladysmith who was allegedly ritualistically tortured by prefects is now demanding a multi-million rand settlement. A letter of apology was given to the former pupil, understood to be from the bullies at Voortrekker High School. It is believed that the letter was signed by four matric boys who were implicated in the abuse scandal.
We have used a stock photo with the story.
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