KZN teen accused of bullying given jail sentence for failure to appear in court

The KwaZulu-Natal education department confirmed that a 16-year-old pupil accused of assaulting and bullying another teenager was given a three-month jail sentence this week for failure to appear in court.

This after the Mathole High School pupil was caught on video beating another teenager by kicking her in the face and dragging her around by her underwear. Another student tried to stop her, to no avail.

Caught on video

The incident took place in September 2020. At the time, the KwaZulu-Natal education department suspended two pupils and launched an investigation.

The department also directed its legal services unit to assist the victim and her family in opening a case with police. The unit also contacted social media platforms’ administrators in hopes of removing the video.

“The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal wishes to appeal to members of the public to refrain from circulating the humiliating video clip as further circulation will only serve to inflict more harm to the dignity of the victim for the rest of her life”.

Charged with assault

The victim’s family opened a case against her at the Mahlabathini police station, and the 16-year-old teenager was charged with assault with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm.

She was then released into the care of her mothers and had to appear in court on 23 February 2021. The case was postponed to 9 March, and the pupil was given a jail sentence when she couldn’t provide an explanation for the no-show.

The education department said in a statement that “the magistrate found her guilty for failing to appear in court and she was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment”.

“The grade 11 learner, who has started serving the three months’ jail term, is expected to appear before the court once again on 31 March where the matter of assault with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm will once again be heard”.

A ‘deterrent’ to other bullies

In addition, Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu said the department welcomed the sentence and hoped the sentence would serve as a deterrent and as a warning to other bullies.

Mshengu explained that the department “had a number of cases involving learners that are bullying others in schools”, and notes that pupils “continue to disregard our call” despite the department’s “spirited campaigns”.

“We hope that this sentence and the likelihood of another one for assault will serve as a deterrent and a harsh lesson to all other wayward learners”.

What to do if you are bullied

It’s important to tell someone, no matter how hard it is, and even if the bullying took place online. Many people prefer to stay silent about bullying for fear of coming across as vulnerable or weak.

However, bullying won’t stop unless action is taken. Children who are bullied are encouraged to speak up and also reach out to someone they trust. The same advice also goes for adults who are the victim of bullying.

What to do if you witness bullying

Don’t look the other way and don’t ignore it; most importantly, don’t brush bullying aside if it happens online. Studies have shown that when bystanders interfere, bullying will stop within ten seconds 57% of the time.

That said, many people prefer to remain quiet, perhaps believing that one person cannot make a difference. Popular YouTube content creator, FouseyTube, drove the point home with a bullying experiment.

Now read: International Stand Up to Bullying Day