In light of the drama that followed the anti-bullying action by Bikers Against Bullies South Africa’s (BABSA) at Laerskool Roodekrans on Tuesday, 9 October, BABSA has released a press statement to clarify the matter.
The BABSA riders escorted a learner, who was allegedly being bullied, from his house to the school on Tuesday morning. Many parents and community members were unhappy though, saying the matter was wrongly handled and nasty comments started flying on social media.
Read more:
Boeliedrama – wat die skool sê
David Kolm, the Vice President of BABSA, issued the following statement on the organisation’s Facebook page on Wednesday, 10 October:
“Dear Brothers and Sister, after the huge success that was our first ride there seems to be a general misconception of what it is that we do at Bikers Against Bullies South Africa. We would like to make it clear that at no point do we as an organisation condone bully-bashing; our goal is clear. Stand up against bullying and institutions that fail to take action or fail to have the proper anti-bully policies in place, and those that do have them in place but do not act on them.
“At the same time we are also extending a helping hand not only to the victims but also to the perpetrators. We understand that bullying is the result of an underlying issue which leads to children using bullying tactics to vent their frustrations. We would like to assist these children, adults and individuals alike.
Read the initial article here:
“Our ‘Big brother, little brother, big sister, little sister’ initiative is one that is still in draft form and is in no way intended to act as a method of intimidation towards children or their families. Instead it is an initiative that offers life guidance to victim and perpetrator alike. The initiative will not only teach children how to stand up to bullying but also how to deal with situations that involve a bully. Under no circumstances are big brothers or sisters to act in an intimidating fashion.
“In short, the initiative is a mentorship programme that allows children, that get a big brother or sister assigned to them, to have an individual to reach out to, to be their voice when they feel scared, endangered or just need some advice on life or an ear to listen. I hope this clears up a few uncertainties for our members, the media and the public in general,” concluded Kolm.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
