An educator at a local primary school has been arrested and released on a warning and will have to answer to the charges before the court soon. She allegedly assaulted a 13-year-old learner at school on Monday 14 November 2022. According to the parents who opened a case at SAPS, the events on the day played out as follows: The learners were busy changing classes when their son realised that he forgot his pen in the class where he was last. He asked permission from the educator to go and fetch it. Upon his return with the pen, there was a disruption in the class when another learner apparently started teasing him.
The educator approached the boy intending to restore order to the class, but when the boy tried to explain that it was not he who made the noise, the educator allegedly proceeded to beat him with a stick in front of his classmates and ordered him to wait for her in the staffroom.
Apparently, the educator went to the staff room later on where she continued to beat him with a stick until another educator intervened to try and stop the physical assault. Reportedly, the ‘angered’ educator was told by the other educator that physical discipline was not allowed at the school, something she apparently ignored. It was said that she continued by pulling the boy into the staff kitchen where she threw him against the steel cupboards.
Apparently, his genitals were also injured during the assault. After the beating, the learner was ordered to go back to class. “At home, I found that my son was in pain,” the father stated.
“He complained about pain all over his body as well as his private parts and told me what happened. We then took him to the hospital for a proper assessment.” The doctor advised the parents to fill in a J88 form to take to the police station and to open an assault case on behalf of the child.
Last month (November), the school principal, accompanied by another educator, visited the learner’s parents to have a better understanding of the incident, and to hear it from the child’s perspective. After the meeting, it was agreed that all parties should meet at the school to decide on a way forward. However, the educator who allegedly committed the assault declined to take part in the meeting and said that she would talk about the matter in court.
The learner is currently undergoing trauma counselling. Police spokesperson, Sergeant Ofentse Mokgadi, has confirmed that a case has been opened and that the 57-year-old educator is being charged with common assault. “The case will be going to court. The educator has since been released on a warning,” said Mokgadi.
The parties are set to attend the court case at the Royal Bafokeng Magistrate's Court on Friday 23 December 2022
