Parents of Bullied Teen Pursue Legal Action After Racial Slur Trauma

• The parents of a grade 8 pupil who was hospitalised after being called a racial slur have opened a criminal case against the perpetrators
• The learner's father said it was evident that this was not an isolated incident and that his daughter was constantly bullied
• The school reportedly committed to probing the incident but couldn't divulge much as the alleged culprits were minors

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

The parents of a 14-year-old learner who was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after being called the K-word have opened a criminal case against the alleged perpetrators.

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It's alleged that two other pupils at Hoërskool Die Wilgers in Pretoria in May 2024 called the grade 8 learner a derogatory term.

According to TimesLIVE, the girl's father reported the matter to the school's management, which committed to investigating the incident. The father added that his daughter was also subjected to constant bullying:

“It was clear this wasn’t the first time she experienced racism…When this happened to her, it made her realise some children see her differently and she had a psychological meltdown about her identity.”

The 14-year-old's parents reportedly took her to see a psychologist who referred her to a psychiatrist, which resulted in the learner missing her mid-year exams.

The school's governing body reportedly confirmed that the school instituted a probe into the incident. It further condemned the racist act and stated that while action was taken against the alleged culprits, not much could be revealed as they were minors.

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South Africans weigh in

Citizens shared their differing views on the incident.

@MoMadibi said:

“This is one thing that must be dealt with decisively. It should come with the harshest sentence. We can't be dealing with such nonsense in 2024.”

@Sibusisolulane advised:

“Stop following Afrikaaners! Why did you send the child to that school in the first place? Look at that name, and then tell me why.”

@rudiernst added:

“Nonsense. Nobody gets suicidal for one insulting term. There is much more to this.”

@KgothatsoMokwe6 commented:

“And there will be no consequences to the perpetrator and the school ”

@Petite_Penny said:

“Here we go again ”

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Source: Briefly News