Video clip of assault on girl pupil emerges

School where incident occurred identified

The KwaZulu-Natal education department has named Siyathuthuka High School in Inanda as the scene of the brutal schoolgirl assault video going viral on social media.

The school was identified after a full-day’s searching and came after tip-offs and help from community members.

Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwane has been informed of the latest development.

“We would like to thank the members of the community and media who kept on giving us leads. This assisted us to narrow our scope in terms of the districts and possible schools‚” said the department’s spokesman Muzi Mahlambi.

He said the naming of the school was just the starting point. “We were able to positively identify the school and will continue with the investigation ...” Mahlambi said.

The 20-second clip shows a young man‚ presumably a schoolboy‚ kicking and hitting a uniformed 17-year-old girl‚ knocking her to the ground. The perpetrator continues to kick the girl in the head and back of the neck while insulting her.

Towards the end of the clip‚ another boy appears but does not stop the assault. He appears like he’s condoning what was happening.

Upon inquiries by Sowetan’s sister publication The Times, pupils who go to the same school with the victim were aware of the video and led The Times to the victim’s twin sister.

But the teary victim refused to watch the video and her sister confirmed it was her and that the incident took place in November.

The girl asked to be interviewed in the presence of her father. Sowetan decided to withhold the family’s names to avoid further trauma.

The father has since taken his daughter out of Siyathuthuka, fearing for her safety after the video was shared among pupils, some teachers and went viral in the community.