Parents staged a protest outside Imperial Primary in Mitchells Plain yesterday morning, complaining that their kids are being bullied by a boy and the principal is doing nothing about it.
Irma Craig, the mother of a Grade 5 girl, along with about 20 parents came to demand answers.
“This child just does what he wants here at the school and nothing gets done about it,” she says, adding that the boy is nine years old and in Grade 3.
“On Friday, he hit my daughter and her friend when they were walking back to class and he almost choked her.”
The meisie tells the Daily Voice: “He kicked us with the ball and when I asked him why he did it, he walked up to us and klapped both of us.
“I asked him why he did it and he said ‘I am the boss’ so we just ran away to tell my sir who told us that it was good that we did not fight back.”
Irma says the boy comes to school on days when he is not supposed to and instead of attending class, he just plays outside.
“The child was placed in the school last year by the department because his mother is in jail and his father is out there doing God knows what, and we do not want to deny him his education but because of his circumstances, he just gets to do what he wants.
“There is obviously something wrong with him and he needs to be placed in another school where they can look after him better, but in this school he is a danger to our children.”
Nawaal Sassman of the school’s Walking Bus brigade says yesterday morning the boy threw a stone at her, hitting the back of her head.
“At 8.10am, he came to the gate of the school and was shouting at the cleaner to go to the garage to pump up his ball.
“I said no and then he picked up a stone and threw me against my head.
“I didn’t even go to the principal because I have been there many times to complain but nothing happens.
“The teachers are also attacked, so they ran to the parents in the hope that something happens.”
Irma said they demanded answers from staff as they drove into the school but they were ignored.
“The principal told us we must contact the education department for answers.”
The principal, Colin Baron, referred Daily Voice’s queries to the Western Cape Education Department.
However, WCED spokesperson Millicent Merton says no incidents have been reported.
“No incidents involving the learner in question which impacted on the safety and well-being of others were reported to the school. It is not clear where these allegations stem from.”
junior.bester@inl.co.za