A gang of Buffelsdale Secondary bullies have been suspended with a final written warning and ordered to attend counselling after he brutally assaulted a Grade 8 pupil, last week.
The Tongaat school was recently under the spotlight for the right reasons after it obtained a 100% pass rate in the 2024 matric exams.
The 13-year-old pupil was bullied and assaulted by the “toilet gang”, who had demanded a fee for him to use the facility.
A relative took to social media about the brutal attack after he heard about the incident from the boy’s mother.
The pupil’s parents, Nerissa Naicker and Denver Munsamy, said a disciplinary hearing was held at the school on Monday and they were happy with the ruling made by the principal, Ravendra Singh.
Naicker said the bullying started with verbal abuse followed by physical abuse.
“They called my son derogatory names and humiliated him. But up until now, he does not understand why they picked on him. He did not even know those boys,” said Naicker.
She said her son entered high school this year.
He was at Buffelsdale Primary, which had zero tolerance for bullying, she said.
“He was so excited to start high school and just seven days into the school year, this happened to him. It is infuriating. We didn’t even know these pupils were calling my son names. He never said a word until he was brutally assaulted.”
She said last week, pupils in his class had called him names.
“He retaliated and shoved one of the bullies. This resulted in some Grade 10 pupils showing up to attack him. When my son told me about the fight, I thought it was a small issue that would resolve itself. I told my nephew, who is in Grade 11, to keep an eye on him.
“My nephew asked the bullies, who are in grades 8 and 10, why they were harassing my son. They replied that he was irritating and they wanted to ‘f@#$ him up’,” said Naicker.
She said later that day, her son wanted to use the toilet before class but the bullies stood at the toilet's entrance and told him to pay a fee to enter.
“He said he had no money. They then told him ‘go pee yourself’. He left without making a fuss. While he was sitting in the assembly area, a Grade 8 bully approached him with a glass bottle and hit him on the head, unprovoked. My son got angry and fought back and eventually the grade 12s broke the fight up and took them to the office,” said Naicker.
She said that even though the pupils were all taken to the office, nobody had informed them about the fight that had happened during the lunch break.
“The teacher said she thought the pupils were being sincere when they apologised. On the day of the incident, my eldest child said he would pick up his brother from school. That is when he saw a big crowd in front of the gate and my son being beaten up by eight boys,” said Naicker.
She said her son was punched in the stomach by a Grade 10 pupil.
“The bullies wrapped their watches on their fists and began punching him. My older son stepped in to help him but he was also assaulted. Hi brother tried to run away but they chased after him and continued to assault him,” Naicker added.
“Eventually two teachers and the security guard stopped the fight and took my son back to school. We were then called to pick him up.”
She said her husband was upset with the school for not telling him about the earlier fight.
The disciplinary hearing was held with the principal, school governing body and teachers.
“Despite everything that happened, the principal was fair. He heard both sides of the story. The bullies were suspended with a final written warning. They would be expelled if they misbehaved again,” Naicker said.
She said they were also instructed to undergo counselling.
“The principal also spoke about the ‘toilet mafia’ and he was very strict about the issue. He said the toilets were a public facility and payment was not needed to use it,” said Naicker.
“My son still fears victimisation and many have told us to move schools. But that is a costly exercise. I also do not want him to move out of fear. He needs to face up to his fears,” she added.
“The parents of these bullies have shown remorse so we can move forward. But it still upsets us when we think about what my son endured,” said Naicker.
She opened a case of assault at the Tongaat SAPS.
The principal Ravendra Singh, and SGB chairperson, Rachel Govender, both declined to comment to the POST.