South African authorities have suspended eight pupils linked to a case of alleged bullying that has caused national outrage.
A video showing a horrific assault at Milnerton high school in Cape Town last week has been widely shared on social media.
Several boys are seen repeatedly hitting a fellow pupil with various objects, including a hockey stick, hose pipe and belt. According to reports, the boy was one of nine allegedly assaulted.
Bullying in schools is a significant problem in South Africa, with videos depicting the violent attacks often going viral. This latest clip is among the most horrific to emerge in recent years.
Organisations and political parties have condemned the incident while the police have confirmed that an assault case has been opened.
Among those to speak out was Amnesty International South Africa, which said the video was “deeply disturbing” and called for “timely disciplinary action”.
“No child should ever endure such brutality in a space where [pupils] should be safe and protected from harm,” the international human rights organisation said in a post on X.
South Africa’s education ministry said it had been in contact with the Western Cape education department, which has oversight over the school, and confirmed that the suspended pupils would face disciplinary action.
The provincial department said it was “treating the matter with the seriousness it warrants”.
Both bodies have urged the public not to share the video of the assault or details of those involved, saying that this “not only exacerbates the trauma experienced by the victim but also undermines the rights and dignity of all the [pupils] involved”.
A South African online publication, News24, spoke to the mother of the boy in video, who said that her son was a cancer survivor.
The 16-year-old’s mother told News24 that the boy had completed his chemotherapy earlier this year.
“My child had just beaten cancer [only] for something like this to happen to him,” she is quoted as saying.