An Eastern Cape school principal faces both a criminal charge and disciplinary action after he allegedly sjambokked a 14-year-old pupil, leaving him with bloody stripes all over his body.
Siyavuya Mapapu, in Grade 7 at Cofimvaba village school, says he was beaten by Mzukisi Mdlankomo after he had a fight with another pupil.
Describing the ordeal in the presence of his family, Siyavuya said he was called into the principal’s office for the beating.
“He forced me to lie on the chair and sjambokked me several times on my buttocks and arms. It cut deep into the flesh – it was so painful.
“I screamed and asked him to stop – I apologised, but he would not stop,” Siyavuya told the Dispatch.
He said lashes had even landed on his calves, arms and other parts of his body.
“He beat me until he was tired,” said Siyavuya.
The alleged assault came as the education department – in the province and nationally – faces a high number of lawsuits against teachers and schools for implementing corporal punishment, which is against the law.
“This is bad – I have never seen a child beaten like this in my life,” said the boy’s mother, Busisiwe Mapapu.
“His body has been criss-crossed with marks from the sjambok.
“I will not rest until justice is served.
“My child is traumatised, and has been crying since that incident.
“He is very scared to even go to the school, let alone come face to face with the principal.”
Mapapu said the lashing came after her son had fight with a schoolmate over sweets.
“Instead of dealing with the matter as a professional and a school manager, the principal decided to execute such a barbaric act on a child.
“He was dealing with him as if he was dealing with a criminal, not a 14-year-old boy who is one of his pupils,” said Mapapu fighting back tears.
Mapapu said she was shocked to see her son in such a state and thought he had been attacked by criminals.
“I then thought it was a junior teacher who assaulted my son, but I was shocked when I arrived at the school and found that the teacher was in fact the school principal,” she said.
“He apologised. But how can we accept an apology from a person who has assaulted my son? He waited for us to come to the school and only then wanted to apologise.
“If he was genuine he could have approached us first and take our son for medical attention. He was not remorseful at all, but arrogant and forcing that apology, instructing us to accept it,” said Mapapu.
Mapapu yesterday opened an assault case against Mdlankomo at Cofimvaba police station.
Police took statements from the principal but did not arrest him.
When the Daily Dispatch approached Mdlankomo at his school he referred all inquiries to the Cofimvaba education district office.
Education department provincial spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said the matter had been escalated to the department, both in the district and provincial office.
“As corporal punishment was long ago abolished in our schools, it was the better move for the parent to report the behaviour of the alleged culprit to the SAPS.
“This will go its way and the department will conduct its own internal investigation.
“If someone has been found guilty, action will be taken,” said Mtima.
Cofimvaba police spokeswoman Captain Namhla Mdleleni said a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm had been opened. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
Pupil, 14, sjambokked
Siyavuya Mapapu, in Grade 7 at Cofimvaba village school, says he was beaten by Mzukisi Mdlankomo after he had a fight with another pupil.
Describing the ordeal in the presence of his family, Siyavuya said he was called into the principal’s office for the beating.
“He forced me to lie on the chair and sjambokked me several times on my buttocks and arms. It cut deep into the flesh – it was so painful.
“I screamed and asked him to stop – I apologised, but he would not stop,” Siyavuya told the Dispatch.
He said lashes had even landed on his calves, arms and other parts of his body.
“He beat me until he was tired,” said Siyavuya.
The alleged assault came as the education department – in the province and nationally – faces a high number of lawsuits against teachers and schools for implementing corporal punishment, which is against the law.
“This is bad – I have never seen a child beaten like this in my life,” said the boy’s mother, Busisiwe Mapapu.
“His body has been criss-crossed with marks from the sjambok.
“I will not rest until justice is served.
“My child is traumatised, and has been crying since that incident.
“He is very scared to even go to the school, let alone come face to face with the principal.”
Mapapu said the lashing came after her son had fight with a schoolmate over sweets.
“Instead of dealing with the matter as a professional and a school manager, the principal decided to execute such a barbaric act on a child.
“He was dealing with him as if he was dealing with a criminal, not a 14-year-old boy who is one of his pupils,” said Mapapu fighting back tears.
Mapapu said she was shocked to see her son in such a state and thought he had been attacked by criminals.
“I then thought it was a junior teacher who assaulted my son, but I was shocked when I arrived at the school and found that the teacher was in fact the school principal,” she said.
“He apologised. But how can we accept an apology from a person who has assaulted my son? He waited for us to come to the school and only then wanted to apologise.
“If he was genuine he could have approached us first and take our son for medical attention. He was not remorseful at all, but arrogant and forcing that apology, instructing us to accept it,” said Mapapu.
Mapapu yesterday opened an assault case against Mdlankomo at Cofimvaba police station.
Police took statements from the principal but did not arrest him.
When the Daily Dispatch approached Mdlankomo at his school he referred all inquiries to the Cofimvaba education district office.
Education department provincial spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said the matter had been escalated to the department, both in the district and provincial office.
“As corporal punishment was long ago abolished in our schools, it was the better move for the parent to report the behaviour of the alleged culprit to the SAPS.
“This will go its way and the department will conduct its own internal investigation.
“If someone has been found guilty, action will be taken,” said Mtima.
Cofimvaba police spokeswoman Captain Namhla Mdleleni said a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm had been opened. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
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