A family in Magogoe village, Mahikeng, is demanding justice after their seven-year-old son developed ongoing health issues, allegedly due to corporal punishment at Dikakanyo Primary School.
The boy, who was in Grade One at the time of the incident in July last year, now suffers from severe migraines. His mother claims the child was assaulted by a teacher for sharpening a pencil during class.
The mother says the teacher slammed the boy’s head against a chalkboard, leaving him with visible injuries. Despite several attempts to engage the school and the North West Department of Education, she says no action has been taken.
“I went to the clinic, which transferred me to the hospital, where he was put in an X-ray, which confirmed his head injuries. The school never acted. I went there numerous times,” she says.
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Good Samaritan Pule Sedumedi, who has been assisting the family, says he was even thrown out of a provincial government office while seeking help.
“I was amazed to be taken out by security from a public office simply for asking for assistance for a child,” Sedumedi recounts.
However, the North West Education Department denies any record of the incident. Spokesperson Mphata Molokwane states: “We don’t have any records indicating that a learner was hit. The child was questioned and denied that any assault had taken place.”
Police in the North West have confirmed a case of assault has been opened and investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the provincial Department of Community Safety says it will investigate both the incident and Sedumedi’s reported ejection from a public office. A meeting with him has been scheduled for next week.
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