Gayton McKenzie Demands Justice for Victims of Milnerton Bullying Incident, South Africans Debate
- Gayton McKenzie has weighed in on the recent bullying incident that occurred at Milnerton High School
- At least eight learners have been suspended following investigations into the assault of a Grade 10 pupil
- South Africans took to social media to share their thoughts on McKenzie's calls for action to be taken
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Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
WESTERN CAPE - Gayton McKenzie is demanding that action be taken against learners who assaulted fellow pupils at Milnerton High School.
The bullying incident, which reportedly happened on 16 October, sparked national outrage and led to the precautionary suspension of eight learners from the school.
The learners were suspended after a viral video surfaced showing the alleged assault of a Grade 10 pupil by a group of learners.
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McKenzie is outraged by the bullying incident
Reacting to the incident, the leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) said that the school bullies needed to be dealt with. “They must be punished in order to learn a valuable lesson which will serve them well in their own future.
“The bullied young man could be your or my son, and we would have been beside ourselves with rage. We would have demanded action to be taken against the wrongdoers,” he stated.
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture also promised that he would make sure the learners would not be allowed to play rugby at that level until they paid for their crimes.
Mckenzie promises tough love for implicated learners
The PA leader said that he was not an advocate for forever punishment, but he added that he would deal with the matter as a father would with his sons: tough but with love.
“My heart breaks for that young boy. I am told there are other victims also. Let this be a teachable moment even for our kids that bullying is totally unacceptable,” McKenzie concluded.
Briefly News has since reached out to the Western Cape Education Department and Milnerton High School for comment, but had not received a response by the time of publication.
South Africans react to McKenzie’s statement
Social media users weighed in on the minister’s comments about the incident, sharing mixed reactions to it.
Lance Turner said:
“All schools should use that video as a teachable moment as a matter of urgency. They must use it as a learning material to teach kids that it's not cool or an initiation, but that it is bullying.”
Avril Alexander exclaimed:
“All schools in every province need to be looked at. The Department of Education just does not do enough when it comes to this matter.”
Yolene Solomon-Basson stated:
“The assaulted young man could be any one of our children; we owe him justice and our unwavering support. I am not calling for life-long punishment, but for disciplined, corrective action. It must be stern, principled, and rooted in responsibility. Let this be a teachable moment. We must raise kids who protect one another, not ones who look away.”
Betty Betty exclaimed:
“Joh, this is heartbreaking. Help the helpless boy. Please, President, intervene to protect because they won’t stop, please.”
Marc Migo Prince added:
“An example has to be made. A message has to be sent out to any current and future bullies that this is totally unacceptable.”
David Craig noted:
“Blah blah blah. Teachable for whom? Unless an example is made to deter others, it's just lip service.”
Mogammat Cader said:
“You guys are overreacting. Let boys be boys and let men be men.”
Mother of bullying victim speaks out
Briefly News reported that the mother of one of the victims of the Milnerton High School bullying incident spoke out.
The boy's mother expressed how traumatised he was and how he did not want to return to the school.
The incident, in which more than one learner was assaulted by fellow pupils, has since sparked national outrage.
Source: Briefly News
