An Elsies River mother is seeking answers after her son, a Grade 7 learner from Elnor Primary School came home with bruises on his arm, allegedly after being beaten with a water pipe by his teacher.

The mother from Epping Forest claims that the incident took place on March 12, but despite multiple complaints to the school, no action has been taken. The angry mother says she is frustrated by the lack of response and fears for the safety of her child and other learners.

“My child came home with bruises on his arm and I was told that his subject teacher hit him.

"It was not only him there were more children in the class. I was very unhappy and went to the school the next day. I spoke to his class teacher and the secretary as the principal was unavailable.”

“The class teacher said they will give me a date when I need to be back at the school and we will sort it out. Until now, no one got back to me. I am still not happy because the teacher is still at school.

“My son explained that they were sitting in class busy with an activity, then the teacher would tell them pens down, tell jokes or stories. When the period was over, they were not done with their activity and the teacher started hitting them.

“I am all for discipline and keeping them for detention. But as far as I know a teacher is not supposed to hit a child especially like that where the bruises lay. I don’t even hit my children like that.”

The mother says this is not the first incident as she once arrived home from work at 5pm and her child was still at school, adding: “We live in a gang-ingested area where there is constant shooting, and my child was kept after school without my knowledge. I went to the school and got my child.”

Millicent Merton, spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department said: “The principal has indicated that the alleged incident was not reported to them, so our district office will investigate the claims and take action accordingly.

“Corporal punishment is illegal according to Section 10 of the South African Schools Act, and those found guilty of engaging in the practice can face fines and/or imprisonment.

“Our department has a zero-tolerance approach against such abuse, and we have put extensive policies and protocols in place for incidents to be reported and acted upon.

“The ‘Abuse No More’ protocol outlines in detail the process to be followed when a learner reports any kind of abuse, providing advice on reporting procedures, how to support victims, and how to deal with perpetrators."

She added that the department has a strong support system, working with district specialist staff, counsellors, social development workers and other Western Cape Government departments to assist affected learners.

Cape Argus