A high school boy has been suspended after he set fire to a girl’s hair while taunting her in class.
The incident was recorded by their classmates at Belgravia High School on Monday morning while the teacher was out of the classroom.
The boy, wearing a brown and white woollen cap, is seen taking a lighter from another pupil and standing behind the victim after which he sets her ponytail alight.
The family of the 14-year- old meisie, who is in Grade 8, says it’s not the first time she’s bullied in class and has slammed the school for not intervening.
The 14-second video, recorded by a girl sitting behind the victim, starts with the boy pouring an energy drink over the girl’s hair while she is seated.
Another boy comments: “Kyk hier, haar hare kan nie nat raak nie.” (Look here, her hair doesn’t get wet.)
The boy with the cap then asks for a lighter from another classmate and someone tells him: “Jy, ha-ah!”
The boy laughs as he sets the girl’s ponytail alight.
He quickly douses the flames with his hand while the rest of the learners burst out laughing.
The victim’s angry aunt, who lives with the girl and her mom in Hanover Park, says this is not the first time the child has been humiliated in class and the school was previously informed.
“This is a third time they bully her like this and the school knows. The principal and the class teacher were made aware of it, but nothing was done.
“It can't go on like this, no. She does not want to go back to school anymore.”
She says the traumatised meisie received counselling on Tuesday morning and met with social workers in the afternoon.
Belgravia High School’s principal could not be reached and an administrator, who refused to be named, said the school had “no comment as the matter is still under investigation”.
The Western Cape Education Department says they are aware of the incident.
Spokesperson Millicent Merton says “the learner was suspended as a precautionary measure pending a disciplinary hearing”.
She added: “The school provided counselling and therapeutic support to the victim.
“The Representative Council of Learners (RCL) will embark on an anti-bullying campaign at the school.”