Teacher sues department following assault by learner, staff members

A North West mathematics teacher is threatening to sue the department of basic education following receiving severe injuries after an alleged assault by a pupil, gardener, and school governing body (SGB) member.

The incident, which required the teacher to take sick leave, took place on 14 February at Obang High School in Amalia near Schweizer-Reneke.

Footage

In a horrific video seen by The Citizen, the teacher is seen lying on his back in the middle of a crowd of pupils.

Two males, who are not wearing school uniforms, went closer to help the teacher to regain his consciousness.

The blood flowing on the floor seems to come from the teacher’s head. Talking to The Citizen, the teacher, who did not want to be named, claimed: “I was beaten up by a pupil, a gardener who is the pupil’s father, and one of the SGB members.

“The pupil was misbehaving and I tried to reprimand him but he continued disrespecting my authority, when a fellow pupil claimed that I was scared of the pupil.

When I called him, he moved in an opposing direction giving a gesture that he was going to smoke with his friend,” the teacher said.

“I then left to avoid a bad incident. The pupils kept screaming that I was afraid of him. The SGB members, as well as the deputy principal, took the pupil and seemingly he was beaten up by one of the SGB members, who happens to be his relative, for his misbehaviour.

This pupil came crying in my direction claiming I am the one who led his beaters on. “I was puzzled because I was not part of the people who were beating him up if he was,” he said.

NOW READ: School violence: Pupils vs teachers

Unconscious

According to the teacher,the father of the pupil “came running in our direction and I had raised my hopes that he would calm down the situation. Instead he punched me above my eye.

“The SGB member ran towards us and he, too, punched me. I lost consciousness,” the teacher said. The teacher alleged he regained consciousness in the school’s sick room where he was advised to go to the hospital.

An assault case will be heard for the second time on Monday. The North West department of education spokesperson, Elias Malindi, confirmed they are aware of the case but did not respond to questions sent to him.

READ MORE: North West teacher placed on special leave for allegedly injuring Grade 10 pupil