What should have been the start to an exciting matric year for a pupil at a local school turned nasty when she was assaulted on the school premises on Monday last week.
The grade 12 pupil said the problems with a particular fellow pupil began last year when the classmate began calling her names and picking on her constantly.
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“There were times late last year when she said she would ‘break me’ and used abusive words. I never really understood why but at one point it got so bad I reported it to the principal. I hoped that after the December holiday the bullying would stop, but that was not the case.”
Last Monday while the 17-year-old girl was walking to her next class, the classmate assaulted her, pulling her hair and pushing her to the ground.
“She then kicked me and struck me in the face. Luckily other pupils were around and managed to stop the assault.”
The injured pupil reported the attack to the principal and a call was made to her parents.
She was taken to a doctor, who diagnosed an injury to her spine, a sprained ankle, soft tissue damage to the back of her neck and bruising to both legs. The Herald is in possession of a copy of the doctor’s letter.
Her mother said that despite the injury and humiliation her daughter had suffered, she had no choice but to continue attending school as this was her final year.
“We bring up our children with morals and values and teach them to respect others. My daughter has never had issues at school until the pupil arrived last year,” she said.
Police spokesman, Captain Petros Mpinge confirmed the incident and said a case of assault had been opened at Port Shepstone police station.
“The pupil was charged and the matter was referred to a probation officer,” he said.
The school was approached for comment but none had been received at the time of going to print.
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