A Retreat mother says her son has been wrongfully punished by his school after the 16-year-old was suspended for breaking up a fight.
Elizabeth Samuels said her son, a Grade 10 pupil at Steenberg High, is losing out on school work.
She says he was walking with his girlfriend after school last Wednesday when they were approached by a female pupil who attacked them.
“They were walking just outside of the school when this girl came for my son’s girlfriend and while he was breaking up the fight, the other girl stabbed his girlfriend with a pen in her head and scratched my son’s neck,” says Elizabeth.
“Even though he was the one who broke up the fight, he was the one who was suspended and that is not right because he did the right thing.
“His girlfriend was stabbed in the head and there was blood coming out while my son just had scratches on his neck but it looked terrible.”
In a 30-second video clip of the fight sent to the Daily Voice, Elizabeth’s son can be seen trying to pull the attacker away from his girlfriend.
The video was taken just outside the school gate on Symphony Avenue while fellow students look on and record the incident, with some egging the attacker on.
“I think my son is being targeted because he was suspended four times since November and while he was guilty for the first instance when he wanted to fight with another boy, the other times he was accused of stuff that was never proven,” says the mother.
“We have made complaints with the education department about the treatment he gets from the teachers but nothing gets done about it.”
She says a disciplinary hearing is supposed to take place on Wednesday.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says: “The WCED can confirm that the learner was placed on precautionary suspension and will be appearing before the disciplinary committee this week.
“The evidence put forward at the hearing will determine the outcome.
“We therefore cannot comment on the incident until such a finding has been made.”