A Mitchells Plain family has called for a heavy punishment after a video of their son being bullied at school went viral on social media.
Darul Arqam Islamic High Grade 9 pupil Raa-ieq Toefy, 14, was filmed being klapped several times by a matric student on Monday.
Raa-ieq’s mom Tougheeda Toefy, 33, says her son is now traumatised.
“My son is now broken,” she explains. “He has cut himself off from us completely, he is just in his room.”
Tougheeda says if it wasn’t for the video, they wouldn’t have known that the bullying became so bad after they addressed it with the school earlier in the year.
“This has been going on since term two and I was back and forth with the school, but all that they said is, ‘okay they going to try, they going to try’,”the mother says.
“My child’s marks have dropped completely. Look what happened now, now the bullies’ family is messaging me saying that he is traumatised. What about my son?”
Raa-ieq’s father Omar adds that the school must now take strong action against the bully.
“My wife and I feel like this learner shouldn’t be able to write his final matric exams, he should be expelled,” he says.
Omar says that they have been to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) but were unsuccessful as Darul Arqam Islamic High is an independent school.
When the Daily Voice reached out to the WCED, spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the department was unable to comment.
“This is an independent school so there is no obligation to report it to us as it’s an independent school, and we can’t comment on their behalf. ” she explains.
Tougheeda says her son’s ordeal should also encourages other children to come forward and report bullying.
“My message out there to everyone being bullied is stand up and speak up, otherwise you will end up in a coffin,” she says.
Meanwhile, Darul Arqam Islamic High issued a statement indicating that the school have conducted a full investigation into the matter.
“Urgent actions that include expulsion and counselling is in the process of being taken.
“In accordance with the ethos of our school, and in keeping with the hadith, that where you see something wrong you need to rectify or stop it.
“Disciplinary actions will also be taken against those learners who witnessed the incident but failed to intervene or report to the office.
“In as much as bullying is prevalent at many schools and in society at large, we will remain vigilant and continue to oppose bullying in the strongest possible terms,” the statement read.