A teacher at Nkabinde Primary School in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, is in hot water for allegedly assaulting a Grade three learner with a pipe for writing slowly.

The incident took place two weeks ago. The teacher is alleged to have assaulted the eight-year-old girl on her back while she was bent over a desk to write.

She sustained multiple bruises and struggled to sit down, forcing her parents to seek medical attention.

The victim’s father says that he was shocked when he saw the bruises, and after asking his daughter about them, she revealed that she was assaulted by her class teacher.

“When I approached the school, the school principal apologised on behalf of the teacher.

“I asked for the school to cover the medical expenses, but the principal advised that she could not commit to that as she still had to meet with the teacher and SGB to make that decision.

“Two weeks later, I have not heard from them, and I am struggling to keep up with the medical bills,” he says.

The father adds that the medical report indicated that the child’s spine was injured due to the injuries.

“Corporal punishment has been abolished in South African schools for over two decades now, but we still have teachers assaulting our children.

“My daughter now fears going back to school [because of] the trauma. All I want is for the teacher to be held accountable for her actions,” he added.

Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department is aware of the allegations of corporal punishment against the educator at the said school.

As a department, they take such allegations seriously, and as such an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident has been launched.

Upon finalisation of the said investigation, the outcome will be communicated accordingly.

The report at the department’s disposal reveals that the said learner was at school the entire day of April 24 to date.

Mabona stated that the allegations that the learner had not been to school were unfounded.

The family has opened a case of assault against the teacher.