Bullying probe at Eastern Cape school after viral video
Officials from the Department of Education in the Eastern Cape will visit David Mama Senior Secondary School in Mdantsane in Buffalo City on Monday to investigate claims of bullying.
A video has made the rounds on social media showing a female pupil being slapped and pushed around by other children from the same school while riding in a scholar transport vehicle.
Other pupils are seen laughing and recording the incident without intervening.
Eastern Cape Education spokesperson Vuyiseka Mboxela said the pupils would face disciplinary action, including possible suspension, while the victim would receive psychosocial support.
“We speak against this, we are going to decide that there is peace at the school and that there is a corrective measure that is taken against the perpetrators,” said Mboxela.
The incident has once again reignited public concerns about pupils’ safety beyond school grounds.
The Department of Basic Education, alongside the Police Ministry, launched the Safe Schools Protocol Program in June, due to growing concerns of learner-on-learner violence in the country.
According to the two departments, 28 murders took place in schools for the 2023/2024 financial year, 46% of those involved learner-on-learner violence.
