The gates of the Little Royals Pre-primary School and Nursery Daycare in Bronkhorspruit have been closed for two weeks now, since the owner and principal was arrested in connection with the alleged assault of learners in her care.

Elsa Geyser was arrested on November 14, after videos of a woman assaulting children surfaced. It is alleged that Geyser is the woman in the videos. The videos started circulating on social media and was allegedly taken by a former worker at the school.

The staff member, who requested to stay anonymous, said she took the videos and sent reports to welfare workers after she started working at the day-care situated in Cultura Park in September. She claims that she was fired after it came to light that she leaked the videos.

One of the videos, recorded from within a building, shows two toddlers at an outdoor jungle gym being spanked with a wooden plank for apparently taking toys out of the classroom.

The whistleblower explained that one of the little boys took toys outside and was then hit twice with the wooden plank.

“The other boy wanted to go to the bathroom, but then decided to go outside. He was also spanked with the same plank,” she said.

In another video, a little girl is repeatedly rapped over the fingers with a pencil and scolded for colouring with an orange pencil instead of a red pencil. (This video cannot be published without revealing the identity of the children.)

The child, who is sitting around a table with other learners, is then threatened that a ruler will be used to hit her over the fingers the next time.

The whistleblower alleges many other incidents happened since she was appointed in September.

The mother of one of the toddlers in the video said the incident was recorded on October 31.

“I immediately fetched my son (18 months) from school,” she said.

She feels that she has failed her child.

“I did not protect him.”

She cries sporadically and cannot sleep because of what has happened to her child.

“How can someone, who is also a mother, do that? To ill-treat babies like that is inhumane,” the mother said.

She said her son does not want to be around people. Her parents now help look after him.

The parents of the children in the videos reported Geyser to the Bronkhorstspruit Police. The case is being investigated by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit in Ekangala.

After her arrest, Geyser appeared in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court on November 16 on charges of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and common assault. The case has been postponed to January 3.

Dina Bosch from the Christelike Maatskaplike Raad (CMR) in Bronkhorstspruit said they contacted the relevant parents. Forms to indicate abuse were completed and sent to the Department of Social Development.

The EFF claim that pressure from its members contributed to the school’s closure. Jeanette Maloka, provincial treasurer, said the parents asked the party to intervene.

“We felt that the school cannot operate while the judicial system runs its course.

“The owner of the school was arrested on [the] Monday, was out on bail the next day and went back to school as if nothing happened. We said no!”

According to Maloka, the EFF is monitoring the situation and none of the learners has returned to school.

Streeknuus approached Geyser for comment. She declined, stating that not speaking to anyone about the case is a part of her bail conditions.