A DEVASTATED mother has been left with more questions than answers after her daughter, an Isipingo
Secondary School learner, committed suicide after enduring bullying at school.
ALSO READ: Double suicide attempt in Warner Beach
Asanda Thethwayo, 16, a Grade 10 learner, swallowed a cocktail of pills and paraffin on Tuesday, May 3, and died two weeks later after being continuously teased and made fun of about her teeth. She passed away at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital on Saturday, May 14 in the intensive care unit. Her mother Thabi said she only became aware of the bullying after her daughter had swallowed the pills.
“She told her grandmother and I that if she dies we should know that it was because of what she was going through at school,” said Thabi.
Asanda had been injured in primary school while playing and the fall had broken a front tooth and realigned her teeth. Thabi said she only realised after the incident that there were signs all along that her daughter was depressed.
“She didn’t enjoy going to school and she always wore a mask and never took it off . In the mornings she would have a very big breakfast before going to school but it is only now that I realise that it was so that she wouldn’t have to take off her mask at school to eat,” said Thabi.
After Asanda was admitted to hospital, her friends and schoolmates came forward to say they were aware of the bullying she had gone through. One of the bullies, Thabi said, had been expelled from another school for the same reason.
“I was told that bully had snatched Asanda’s mask off and made a video of her teeth and shared it at school, which made the bullying worse. Maybe that is what finally broke her and she decided to take this decision,” said the mother.
While her daughter was lying in hospital, Thabi said she went to the school on Tuesday, May 10, and asked to speak to the principal about the matter but was told he was unavailable because he was self-isolating.
“I was referred to the deputy principal who said a meeting that will include the school’s governing body (SGB) needed to be called on Thursday, May 12, so that the incident could be addressed appropriately. When I arrived at the school that day for the meeting, there was no SGB present, it was just the deputy principal sitting alone in the office. This showed me the school was not taking the matter seriously,” said Thabi.
The school also allegedly refused a request by some of the learners to hold a prayer for Asanda.
Thabi described her daughter as a friendly, respectful, and loving child who had big dreams. Four days before she died her mother said she had been showing signs of improvement as she had regained consciousness, and was talking a bit. Her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse on Friday and she died the next day.
When the SUN contacted the school for comment, the person who answered the phone referred all questions to the Department of Education (DoE). On Wednesday, May 18, DoE’s head of communications, Muzi Mahlambi, said the department was not aware of the incident but admitted that bullying was rife in schools.
“This troubles us because we value the safety and the wellbeing of our learners. As a department we can’t deal with this problem alone and we need the parents to assist us. Many incidents of bullying go unreported and because of that, we need to teach our children to report all incidents of abuse and bullying. They can report these incidents at home or to the teachers. I also urge the teachers to take the learners seriously when they report bullying,” said Mahlambi.
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