Tears flowed as the mother* of the West Ridge High School boy, 17, who was assaulted last week relived the horrid Tuesday morning’s events.
“I was walking to work that morning and as I got to the office, the receptionist hastened me to the phone, saying the school has some horrible news,” she told the Record in an exclusive interview.
“They told me my son has been severely assaulted… with the help of our company director Karen Humphreys I got to the school.”
In the interim she phoned her daughter to explain the situation.
“It is clear they were making an example of my boy. He’s a church-going, ordinary guy that goes to youth church on Friday nights, there’s no way that he would typically be involved in a school-wide scandal of this scale.
“My child was so battered and I was in a dead spin to get him to the hospital.”
She said WRHS’s excuse as to why they did not phone for emergency services was that parents have complained in the past when ambulances arrived before they were notified. The family further endured hostility from Roodepoort Police when they tried opening a case of attempted murder, as advised by trauma personnel at Life Flora Clinic where he was admitted to ICU. Officers wanted the boy to come in himself and she spent her time explaining that he is in hospital and can barely walk. Eventually, with the help of the Child Unit at Honeydew Police Station, they opened a case.
Photos: Kidney failure looming for assaulted boy
He has been discharged from hospital and she says the cost for the few days in ICU is around R200 000. He also missed three examinations at WRHS and has been booked off until next Monday, 23 November. However, his mother is adamant that he won’t attend school, fearing for his life, until she sees disciplinary action instituted against his school-going assailants. It is understood that the attack on him follows a few bully incidents on school grounds where friends were victims, one of which he broke up the fight. It is also understood that the school, in turn, laid charges of illegal trespassing against the assailants that didn’t attend the school, but this could not yet be confirmed.
The Record has been informed that a disciplinary hearing will be held on Monday afternoon for nine of his assailants who have been identified. WRHS invited her to the hearing, first trying to get her son to give a statement, but she said she will represent him on the day. The mother is further calling for a private meeting with controversial school principal, Sydney Mashige, before she sends him back to school. She was blunt in saying the children are “thugs and murderous”.
Boy discharged from hospital after school assault
“Who is to say he won’t be targeted again; even if the children involved get expelled, who’s to say they won’t wait for him outside of school grounds for revenge?”
*Name withheld to protect the assaulted boy’s identity.
School, department mum on assault and other allegations
In the meanwhile neither WRHS nor the Department of Education have responded to the Record’s questions around the incident and other allegations made against the school and its staff. The Department of Education is yet to respond to allegations against the school relating to an incident earlier this year, which the Record queried in August already.
Child Unit making headway with attempted murder case
According to Honeydew Cluster spokesperson Karen Jacobs three people have been arrested in relation to the attempted murder case and will be appearing in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on 3 December. Anyone with any more information relating to the assault can contact investigating officer Sergeant Sibeko on 011 767 8000.
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