After a disturbing video surfaced of a schoolgirl viciously beating up another pupil outside Alexander Sinton High School in Athlone, the father of the victim is kwaad about how the principal has handled the matter.
The 25-second clip went viral last month showing the girl hitting the other girl in the face, before choking her and slamming her to the ground. The defenceless girl does not attempt to fight back.
Peter Williams from Mitchells Plain, the father of the girl who was beaten up said that the school never informed him that his 16-year-old daughter was attacked and didn’t notify him about the disciplinary process.
He said the only time he was contacted was by the investigating officers who requested a statement for the disciplinary hearing because his daughter is a minor.
“Immediately after the attack, my daughter contacted me to say that she was attacked. They were waiting for her on the corner, it was a planned incident,” he said.
“Nobody made contact with me from the school whatsoever, I was never informed when the disciplinary hearing will take place and the procedure. On Monday, I confronted the principal about why he made contact with the other family and not me.”
“I am appealing the outcome of the disciplinary hearing because the nature of the attack was severe. My daughter is currently on medication, she suffers from depression and anxiety but we are getting counselling for her. She doesn’t eat or sleep.”
Spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department, Milicent Merton, says: “The school reported that on the day of the incident, the parent of the plaintiff contacted the school before they could contact him. The principal met with the parents of both learners separately the day after the incident.”
“The parent of the plaintiff attended the disciplinary hearing.”
However, Peter said that it is all lies and showed Daily Voice a letter signed by the principal Ashrif Barday on 2 September which states that he made contact with the other family to attend the hearing and did not contact him.
marsha.dean@inl.co.za