CAPE TOWN: The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it will be probing an incident where a pupil was allegedly beaten to a pulp, while on her way to school.
IOL notified the department regarding an incident in Atlantis, which has since gone viral in local community groups on Facebook on Monday.
Graphic videos and images of a young girl could be seen on the social media pages.
The child’s nose and mouth can be seen dripping with blood.
The child, dressed in a Hermes Primary School uniform, was rescued from a beating by members of the community and pupils from a neighbouring high school, while on her way to school on Monday.
Residents in the area, who shared the graphic images, alleged the child was being beaten by her mother.
The incident has caused an outrage in the community, as people called for the alleged mother of the child to be brought to book.
The graphic images and videos have since been removed from social media.
A resident, who shared images of the incident on Facebook, stated that she was disgusted by what was happening.
“That is a child. She did not ask to be in this world and a child, no matter what they may have done, does not deserve to be beaten to a pulp.
“The school, police and everyone else needs to step in and help. Then people wonder why our children turn to drugs and gangsterism,” the woman said.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the child did not attend school on Tuesday.
“The WCED has been made aware of this concerning and serious incident. The pupil did not attend school today.
“The WCED is following up with SAPS to determine what transpired, and whether the pupil was taken to SAPS as alleged,” Hammond said.
She also confirmed that the incident took place outside of the school and in the community and, therefore, reports are unconfirmed at this stage.
“The safety and well-being of the pupil is paramount and all the necessary protocols will be observed,” Hammond added.
SAPS did not respond to queries by the time of publication.