Ekurhuleni High School Learner Commits Suicide After Alleged Bullying Incident

EKURHULENI, GAUTENG— The mother of a 14-year-old pupil at Phumula Gardens Secondary School in Katlehong, Mamocheso Mokoena, said her son, Asanda, took his own life last week. She spoke after her 6-year-old daughter discovered the Grade 8 pupil following an incident at his school in Ekurhuleni.

According to News24, Mokoena spoke after her relatives visited the institution on 15 May 2026, where teachers and pupils initially claimed children were recording a TikTok video called "resuscitation". Mokoena disputed this version and said that her son took his own life hours after being subjected to sexual humiliation, where a group of boys pinned him to a table and stripped him naked in front of female pupils.

Mamocheso Mokoena details ongoing school bullying

Mokoena said that her son was a fragile, sensitive child nicknamed "Mr Fixit". She said that Asanda was continuously bullied during the first school term by the same group of boys who assaulted him and demanded money. The mother said that the school promised to deal with the bullies when it reopened for the second term, but failed to do so.

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Mokoena added that while she planned to move him to another school next year, neither the department nor the institution has visited her to explain what happened. Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana was contacted for comment last Thursday, but he had not responded at the time of publishing. A similar incident happened in KwaZulu-Natal when a young boy committed suicide on 14 May.

Grade 10 learner commits suicide

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a learner's suicide prompted calls for three learners involved in the incident to be suspended. The learner reportedly took his own life after years of bullying.

Source: Briefly News