Family accuses police of brutality during a search of a school in eMbalenhle
Matriculant was allegedly forced to do push-ups, pulled by his beard and called a “cheese boy” before he was taken home to shave.
The family of a Grade 12 learner at Osizweni Secondary School is demanding action against police officers who allegedly harassed and assaulted their child during a school search conducted on February 23.
According to Whitney Mbatha, the learner’s older sister, the family was left shocked and distressed when police officers brought her brother home during school hours.
Mbatha said her brother arrived at their home in Secunda with one side of his face visibly swollen.
“The police did not properly explain anything to us. They walked into our house and showed us a letter from the school instructing them to bring him home.
“When we asked what had happened, they simply said he must shave his beard before returning to school,” she said.
Mbatha said her brother is one of the school’s top-performing learners and has never been known to be problematic.
“He is a curious person who questions things. We suspect that he may have questioned some of the police’s actions during the search,” she added.
According to Mbatha, the police initially conducted a random search in the class and left after finding nothing. However, a few officers allegedly returned minutes later and called her brother out of the classroom.
She claims he was forced to do push-ups and, when he asked why he was being punished despite nothing being found in his possession, officers allegedly told him it was because of his “attitude.”
Mbatha said her brother later told the family that while he was doing push-ups, one of the officers dragged him by his beard and called him a “cheese boy.”
“That amounts to abuse and torture. My brother is not rude – he simply asks questions. He wants reasons for things, whether they affect him or not,” said Mbatha.
The family fears the incident could negatively affect the learner’s academic performance, especially as he is in his matric year.
Following the incident, the family met with the school governing body chairperson and the deputy principal, who both apologised and promised to address the matter.
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While the family welcomed the school’s commitment to intervene, Mbatha said they are concerned about the psychological impact on her brother.
“We now have to take him for counselling because of the trauma he suffered, and that will be at our own cost as a family,” she said.
The family is now calling for appropriate action to be taken against the officers involved.
The SGB chairperson of Osizweni Secondary School, Wilson Chauke, said the school community was shocked by the incident involving a learner, describing it as uncalled for.
Chauke emphasised that the role of the police during school visits is to conduct random searches for weapons, drugs and other dangerous items that could pose a threat to learners and educators.
“We have a school policy that governs how learners should conduct themselves within the school premises, and that does not require police attention but rather intervention from the school and parents,” said Chauke.
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He added that law enforcement officers are expected to focus on preventing drugs and weapons from entering schools, not on issues such as a learner’s appearance or dress code, which are addressed through internal school policies.
“Police work is to keep drugs and weapons away from the school, not to check how a learner looks or what he or she wears. Those matters are covered by our school policy,” he said.
Chauke confirmed that the SGB will convene a meeting to discuss the incident and determine the way forward. The affected learner’s parents will be informed of the outcome and any decisions taken.
Colonel Khuselwa Matrose, the station commander at eMbalenhle, who led the school search on the day, said she was unaware of the alleged incident.
She encouraged the learner’s parents to visit the local police station and open a formal case so that the matter can be investigated.
