South Africans Weigh In on Milnerton High Students' Assault Case and Possible Expulsions

• The eight Milnerton High School learners charged with assault appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court
• Six of the learners face expulsion after a disciplinary hearing by the Western Cape Education Department
• Social media users highlighted concerns about punishment and the impact of expulsion on the students
• The Western Cape Department of Education spoke to Briefly News about the official process for considering and approving expulsions of learners involved in criminal matters

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

WESTERN CAPE, CAPE TOWN - The eight Milnerton High School learners facing charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 20 January 2026.

Expulsion of six of the eight learners

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The Western Cape Education Department said the school’s governing body has recommended the expulsion of six of the eight learners following the conclusion of a disciplinary hearing. All eight pupils were charged with multiple counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The department said the recommendation for expulsion was submitted last week and will now be considered by the Head of the Western Cape Education Department, who is responsible for making the final decision. It said five of the learners recommended for expulsion are in Grade 12, while one is in Grade 10.

An outcome for one learner is still pending, while another learner received a sanction that does not include expulsion. The department stated that the final decision will be communicated once the process has been finalised.

The Western Cape Department of Education has outlined to Briefly News the official process followed when considering and approving the expulsion of learners implicated in criminal matters. Education spokesperson Bronagh Hammond told Briefly News that there are two separate processes.

"There is the school disciplinary process and then there is criminal prosecution. Where criminal prosecution has been instituted, school disciplinary processes may proceed in the ordinary course and are not automatically suspended by the existence of criminal proceedings.

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Disciplinary processes may only be affected where the learner is detained or incarcerated, or where conditions imposed by a court expressly prevent the learner from attending a disciplinary hearing or participating in the process."

What did South Africans say?

Social media users shared their opinions regarding the possible expulsion.

Jeremy Tizora said:

"I hope other learners' parents will learn from this. Consequences of their kids' actions."

Carl van Zyl said:

"They should be doing time like any other person who commits a crime. If you assault someone and are found guilty, you go to jail, plain and simple. There are juvenile jails for teenagers."

Sonwabile Sobz Mahlobisa said:

"We have serious issues as a country; the expulsion may only add to the issues we have. Kids must continue with their schooling, and an alternative punishment must be imposed."

Natasha Beukes said:

"There were no 2025 matriculants involved in this. They are now in matric, which means they passed from Grade 11 in 2025 to matric in 2026."

Kiran Gangaram said:

"Prosecute them, put them in juvenile prison; rehabilitation is the best form of punishment. Help the hard way."

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Freda Julie Camphor said:

"What does expulsion mean for a young person? It's like a holiday. No responsibility. No accountability. Let them do hard labour. Let them do community work and create awareness at schools about bullying. Drill them. Let them develop anti-bullying policies for schools."

Milnerton High bully victim also faces bullying allegations

In a previous article, Briefly News reported that the Milnerton High learner seen being assaulted in a widely spread video is also facing bullying allegations.

Another video is doing the rounds on social media, showing the victim fighting with another pupil.

Source: Briefly News