School assault ‘might not be racially motivated’
The Western Cape Department of Education says it cannot be assumed that the incident that took place at the Sans Souci High School was racially motivated.
The department was reacting to video on social media, showing a teacher assaulting a pupil in class.
The department’s officials visited the school on Wednesday morning to assess the situation.
Spokesperson Jessica Shelver urged the public to wait for the outcome of the investigation.
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"We are aware that some commentators on social media platforms are immediately assuming that the incident is race-related. While we understand the anger at the images displayed on the edited version of the video we cannot assume that this was racially motivated.”
Students at the school held a peaceful protest this morning in support of the educator, claiming the incident was not race-related.
"We are also very aware of the many disciplinary challenges that our educators face daily in our schools, however the use of violence to deal with the learners that show signs of behavioural issues or are ill-disciplined cannot be tolerated," says Shelver.
She says because the teacher was appointed by the school’s governing body (SGB), the department has to wait for their decision on whether or not to suspend the teacher.
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