A female educator at Tshikhuthula High at Mukondeni village is being accused of punishing a 19-year-old Grade 11 learner by hitting her in full view of her classmates.
The girl, Phumudzo Mavhutha, sustained multiple injuries on her body and a fracture on her right hand. She claims that the teacher accused her of being disrespectful and kicked her several times while she was sprawling on the floor.
Phumudzo alleges that she was not feeling well on the day the incident occurred. She went outside the class to spit out the saliva forming in her mouth. She reckons that she was accidentally associated with a group of rude youngsters who were misbehaving outside of the class. When she returned to the class, the teacher allegedly dragged her down and started assaulting her badly without asking why she had been outside.
The mother of the young woman, Ms Khathutshelo Mavhutha, has since told Limpopo Mirror that they were reluctant to open a case. They wanted to protect the daughter from being victimised at the school. "According to the information I received, the teacher was complaining that my daughter was naughty and was always behaving strangely in the classroom," said Mavhuta.
She said that she had heard that staff members had hired a vehicle to transport her daughter to receive treatment at the Mashamba clinic. She was later transferred to the Elim Hospital, where she was treated and discharged.
Mavhutha said she had met with the deputy school principal, Mr Shumani Machete, who tried to convince her not to lay a charge. "Machete wanted me to keep silent on the matter, but my daughter's hand was badly swollen. Machete also failed to explain what had happened to my daughter," she said. She said she now wanted the Department of Education to take action against abusive teachers.
The newspaper tried to contact the teacher accused of hitting the girl for comment, but her phone just kept on ringing.
When contacted for comment about the matter, the Department of Education in Limpopo's senior communication manager, Dr Naledzani Rasila, described the incident as regrettable. "Whether the child is healthy or not, the truth is that corporal punishment is forbidden," he said. He said that the education department would start with its investigations into the matter and that they were waiting for a report from the principal of school, the circuit manager and the senior district manager.