More school fights caught on camera
More shocking videos of school pupils fighting in the Bay — along with images of a grade 1 child showing bruises she sustained after allegedly been bullied — surfaced online last week.
Footage from the videos was captured at Daniel Pienaar Technical High School in Uitenhage, showing what appears to be two separate clashes.
In the first 31-second video, a group of boys wearing civvies can be seen standing together on a grandstand with a sports field in the background.
A pupil walks past the group, with one of the bigger boys on the grandstand questioning him.
“Why are you a snitch?” he is heard saying in the video.
After the pupil’s response, which is inaudible, the boy lashes out and punches him in the face.
He falls to the ground.
In the second video, two pupils approach each other on the school grounds and immediately start throwing punches.
Dozens of pupils gather around them, forming a circle. The video lasts about 29 seconds. A Daniel Pienaar staff member requested that the education department be approached for comment.
Meanwhile, a parent took to Facebook on March 2 after her daughter, 6, who is in grade 1, and her son, aged 8 and in grade 2, were allegedly bullied by a grade 4 pupil at Bonzai Primary School in Newton Park on the same day.
The parent, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, said she was surprised when the parent of another pupil who witnessed the attack contacted her.
“The parent told me her daughter tried to call two teachers when the fight broke out. However, she was ignored,” she said.
“When I raised the matter with one of the teachers that evening she merely said ‘but your daughter hit the boy back’.
“My daughter still wears size 3-4 clothes. You can imagine how tiny she is compared to a grade 4 boy.”
“I took to Facebook because I had exhausted all other avenues.
“I tried to set up a meeting with the school. My mother even went to the school but she was not allowed in.”
She claimed after her post appeared, the school threatened her with legal action if it was not removed.
She received a letter from the school’s lawyer, Kuveshan Padayachey, on March 3.
“Our client has requested that you refrain from posting any further material on any social media platform which has the potential of reputational risk,” Padayachey wrote.
The woman said after receiving the letter she had deleted her post.
“I’m taking my children out [of the school] because the teachers have failed them,” she said.
On Tuesday, The Herald contacted the school, with a teacher — who declined to give her name — confirming they had contacted their lawyers after the post.
“The parent made a serious accusation on Facebook.
“We as the school will not take it lightly ... we have never condoned bullying,” she said, before ending the call.
On Wednesday, a meeting took place between the school, the woman and the parents of the grade 4 pupil.
“At no point during the meeting did they ask how my children were doing,” the mother said.
Yesterday, Padayachey said the school had offered counselling to the pupils and urged parents to place their children in aftercare.
“I am informed that the incident happened after schooling hours. My instructions are that it was an isolated incident.
“I’m not sure exactly where it occurred but I am waiting for a final report from my client, who says she will get back to me [today].”
Education department spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani said the incidents at Daniel Pienaar School and Bonzai were being investigated.
“Bullying and violence in schools is not a department of education issue only, it is a societal issue,” he said. “The best way to address it is to ensure that children do not make themselves guilty of it, and, second, if they are the victim of bullying, that they report it immediately.
“Even when it is reported to the school and the department, and disciplinary action has been instituted, it does not prevent parents and pupils from laying criminal charges.”