Tensions erupted outside Milnerton High School on Wednesday morning as police fired stun grenades to disperse angry parents, political activists and community members demanding justice for a 16-year-old Grade 10 learner brutally assaulted in a bullying incident captured on video.

The video, filmed on October 16 inside a classroom, shows the boy being slapped, punched and humiliated by a group of learners, allegedly including members of the school’s First Team Rugby squad.

The footage caused national outrage and sparked allegations of systemic bullying, intimidation and racial discrimination at the school.

Earlier today, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) confirmed the precautionary suspension of eight learners, who are expected to face disciplinary hearings.

Police also confirmed yesterday that a case of assault to has been opened.

Parents at the protest claimed bullying has been ongoing at the school for years, with little to no intervention from management.

One mother said her son was attacked previously and the school ignored her complaints.

“My son was bullied at this school. A learner smacked him in the face — it was recorded, it was a set-up, and the school did nothing. Another time, a parent nearly pulled a gun on him. Again, nothing was done,” she said.

“They protect the star students and their athletes. It’s all about their rugby boys.”

She added allegations of violent initiation rituals involving senior rugby players.

“My son told me this initiation stuff has been going on for a long time. They’ve been hitting boys like this.”

Two boys who are relatives of the victim said this was not an isolated attack.

“They’ve been bullying him and his friends the whole year,” said one cousin.

“They take his lunch, they hit him, they threaten him. Every time we told him to report it. He did. But nothing happened.”

Another family member added:

“The school knew. Teachers knew. Those boys think they own the school because they play rugby. My cousin didn’t deserve this. He never fights anyone.”

A friend of the victim, who was also at the protest, said learners had been too scared to speak out.

“There are a lot of bullying cases at this school. If you report it, they make your life hell. They call you a snitch. Teachers just tell you to ‘sort it out’,” he said.

“We’re scared to come to school.”

A colleague of the victim’s mother revealed heartbreaking details about the boy’s health history.

“He has been through a lot. He spent four months in hospital fighting cancer. People don’t know that. This is not just bullying, this is cruelty,” he said.

“The school is aware of many past incidents involving the same boys. Nothing was done.”

A peaceful protest outside the school quickly turned volatile when demonstrators demanded to speak to the principal. Police intervened, deploying stun grenades to push the crowd back.

An EFF member at the protest accused the school’s leadership of refusing transparency.

“We tried to speak to the principal to hear what the next steps are, but he didn’t want to talk. He said he just wanted to sign papers and walked away. He was assisted by the police, they started throwing stun grenades at us,” he said.

“We are not going anywhere until that principal comes here and addresses us.”

The People’s Movement for Change (PMC) has entered the fray, demanding criminal charges for the attackers and accusing Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier of a “failure of leadership”.

In a strongly worded statement, the PMC said:

“This was not a school incident. It was a crime. The perpetrators must face the full force of the law.”

“The MEC’s weak and detached response exposes a leadership failure of the highest order, Instead of standing with the victim, he hides behind internal processes. That is not leadership. That is cowardice.”

The PMC is demanding: Criminal prosecution of all learners involved, immediate referral of the case to SAPS, a public apology from MEC Maynier, trauma support for the victim and his family.

Milnerton High School has yet to address the public directly. Protesters say the principal has consistently refused to engage with them, hiding “behind locked gates”.

IOL News

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