7 High School Learners in Johannesburg Arrested After Video of Them Bullying a Girl Goes Viral

• The South African Police Service arrested seven girls between the ages of 13 and 14 after an incident of bullying took place on 10 May 2025
• A video of the incident, which shows the group assaulting one girl, went viral, and it caused outrage
• The suspects were released and appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates Court, and South Africans condemned the incident

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG — South Africans applauded the arrest and court appearance of seven teenagers in Johannesburg who assaulted another teenager in Bellevue on 10 May 2025.

Video of bullying sparks outrage

According to the South African Police Service, the group of girls who assaulted the girl in a video, which went viral, appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on 19 May and faced charges of common assault. The police rounded up the suspects and arrested them after a case was opened at the Bellevue Police Station. The suspects were then released into the custody of their parents.

Bullying in South Africa

In March 2025, 548 cases of bullying were reported since January. A total of 29 cases were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, 305 cases were reported in Limpopo, and 35 were reported in Gauteng. The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, said in Parliament that the department developed the National School Safety Framework.

The Framework empowers schools to tackle the issue of bullying by establishing safety committees and managing safety threats. It also gives schools the power to develop mechanisms to report incidents and collaborate with the police, civil society organisations and the Department of Social Development.

A matric pupil appeared in court in August 2023 after he allegedly killed another learner in a bullying incident in Mokopane, Limpopo. The learners were engaged in a fight, and the suspect reportedly hit the victim's head with a wooden stick on 17 August. He died the following morning.

South Africans condemn the incident

Netizens commenting on Newzroom Afrika's tweet slammed the girls for the incident.

Lebewana said:

"They must be taught a lesson. We have no room for such people in our society. I pray the girl they abused doesn't take her life because of the incident."

JusticeForCwecwe said:

"What a happy ending. They'll learn that actions have consequences."

Son of the soil said:

"Jail is the only sensible thing that should happen."

Jeff said:

"That's good. They need to learn the hard lessons of life. They need criminal records."

NoxySA said:

"Bullies need to be dealt with. A speedy recovery to the victim. She must be provided with psychosocial support and learn to cope with the situation."

Idols star responds after daughter bullied

In another article, Briefly News reported that Idols star Sneziey Msomi broke her silence after her child was trolled on social media. This was after she posted selfies of herself and her daughter.

Social media users mocked her child, and she removed her pictures. She later slammed social media users and accused them of bullying her child.

Source: Briefly News