Battered, ‘emotionally distraught’ Selborne pupils receiving counselling

Two of the boys still in hospital after being beaten in late-night hostel attack

The Eastern Cape education department is offering counselling to 11 young Selborne College boys who were allegedly victims of an assault at the hands of three matric pupils over the weekend.

On Tuesday, provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirmed his department had activated its psychosocial support services “to ensure that these learners receive counselling, and any other support they may require emotionally”.

Mtima said officials intended to assist the “emotionally distraught” pupils as a result of the Sunday morning assault in which a group of grade 8 boarders, all 14 years old, were woken in the early hours, allegedly dragged to one of the matrics’ rooms and beaten with fists and cricket bats and kicked.

Three of the 11 boys ended up in hospital. One was discharged on Tuesday.

Mtima said the school reported the incident to the department’s district office on Sunday. “Firstly, we condemn this act and we have suspended all three boys from the hostel to guarantee the safety of the other learners while the internal investigation is under way to ensure the sanction is equivalent to the crime committed.

“We call on all learners to refrain from this terrible behaviour. The department is now working with the school to ensure the smooth writing of exams and we hope this incident will not adversely affect them during this period.”

On Tuesday, police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala confirmed three pupils were charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

“The parents later came to the police station to open up cases of assault against the alleged perpetrators.

“The motive for the [alleged] assault is not known yet, until victims are interviewed and statements are obtained from them,” Mqala said.

After several complaints were laid against the three matric boys, Mqala said, discussions were held with the standby public prosecutor, “who recommended they be charged, and be released on warning, and given a date in the first week of December to appear in court”.

Mqala said police investigations were ongoing.

The Dispatch was reliably informed that two of the boys admitted to hospital were still under observation on Tuesday.

The third had been discharged from East London’s St Dominic’s hospital.

One parent, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his son, said the boy had suffered serious internal bleeding as a result of being beaten on the body, buttocks and legs, with a cricket bat.

He had hoped his son would be discharged by Tuesday, but doctors had declined to do this.

Another parent said his son was also being kept in hospital for another day due to an outstanding X-ray scan on his wrist, which he said was painful.

He said he hoped his son would be discharged on Wednesday.