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An empty classroom.
Western Cape police say the eight suspects from Milnerton High School accused of assaulting a 16-year-old boy will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg says the suspects, aged 17 and 18, face charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
A video that recently made the rounds on social media shows learners violently assaulting a 16-year-old boy with hockey sticks and belts.
The lobby group, Equal Education, however, says the criminalisation of learners is not the answer to bullying.
VIDEO | Outrage over assault of learner at Milnerton High School:
Meanwhile, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has called for immediate intervention following the incident, which involves some top rugby players.
Minister McKenzie says he has engaged the South African Rugby Union (SARU) to determine the correct way forward, while acknowledging that rugby at school level is managed by the Department of Basic Education, and not SARU.
The minister has called for decisive action to send a clear message that bullying has no place in schools and that sports stars must be held to a higher standard of accountability and not be granted protection.
