*WARNING: Video contains offensive language
Yet another school bullying video is doing the rounds on social media and now the parents of the boy at the centre of the filmed scuffle are being threatened by one of the alleged perpetrators’ parents.
The incident happened at De Kuilen High School in Kuils River on Thursday at the end of the school day and the video features three Grade 9 pupils.
In the video, a girl is seen holding a boy by the neck, pushing him around and swearing at him. A few minutes later, another boy enters the frame and punches the smaller boy in the face.
Other pupils can be heard egging the girl on and even mocking the victim over the fact that he is being beaten by a girl.
This comes after reports of a 10-year-old Ruyterwacht Voorbereiding School pupil being repeatedly bullied, according to the child’s mother.
In the De Kuilen case, the 14-year-old victim was seen by a doctor later on Thursday. His face is swollen and bruised and he has a black eye.
Now the parents of the bigger boy have reportedly apologised to the victim’s family, but the girl’s parents are threatening to lay a charge of sexual harassment against the smaller boy.
Weekend Argus spoke to the father of the assaulted boy and learnt that this latest incident was not the first at the school involving his son.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his son’s identity, he said: “My child is still very young and we as a family are traumatised. I don’t want to put my child’s name and face everywhere.”
The build-up started on Tuesday when the girl in the video allegedly approached the boy and accused him of spreading rumours about the bigger boy. The victim’s father said his son denied this.
The video was made at the end of the school day on Thursday on the school grounds.
Asked why he thought his son was being victimised, the father said: “My son has been called a moffie. He is much smaller than the other kids and hangs out with girls.”
The father said on Thursday evening the family went to Kuils River police station to lay a charge of assault and encountered the bigger boy and his family there.
The father said the boy apologised and then broke down.
He said the girl had told him that the victim had been spreading rumours about him.
According to the victim’s father, the girl’s parents called to apologise and wanted to arrange a meeting between the two families.
The apology was accepted but when they declined to meet the girl’s family, they did an about-turn and threatened legal action.
The provincial education department said the school was aware of the De Kuilen video and had been proactive in dealing with the case.
Spokesperson Jessica Shelver said the principal had met the parents of both boys, and it was agreed that neither boy would attend the last week of the third term as a precautionary measure.
“This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable in our schools.”
She said the bigger boy and girl would face a disciplinary hearing next term.
Revonne Skinner, a parent at Ruyterwacht Voorbereiding School, said her Grade 3 son was still
being bullied despite an article in the Weekend Argus two
months ago.
She alleges she had called the department’s Parow office 25 times since January with no joy.
“My son came home from school with scratches on his face this week and said that five boys at the school choked him and hit him in the face,” said Skinner, who added that she felt “completely helpless”.