Teens 'struggling with feelings of hopelessness and sadness'Ī South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) registered counsellor, Cayley Jorgensen, said bullying in all forms was a huge problem among South African school-going children. The principal was aware that there was a fight,” he said. We also want to investigate if the department of education was aware of this incident and what is it that was done, because if a learner assaults somebody the principal or teachers must assist the learners to open a case with the police and that was not done. “What we are going to do is to get more information. Mavhidula said after the incident, Lufuno was found crying outside when she was supposed to be writing a test. She is known to be a bully and started this while she was still in grade 8,” Mavhidula charged.
“The perpetrator was involved in fighting before. Office manager Victor Mavhidula said the commission would investigate whether the principal acted and will then make recommendations. Meanwhile, the SAHRC in Limpopo conducted a fact-finding visit at the school.
#Teens who committed suicide code
We expect the school to follow the disciplinary processes outlined in the school's code of conduct and the Schools Act and urge all schools to take urgent and deliberate steps to stop bullying,” said Petherbridge. “We are encouraged that the Limpopo department of education has condemned this conduct and is taking steps to investigate. The principal was told about the issue but he didn’t attend to the matter,” Dakalo said.Īn attorney at advocacy group Section 27, Demichelle Petherbridge said action needed to be taken over the incident. When I called her she told me she couldn’t write and thinks she failed and the school didn’t get involved. “I asked her what was happening and she said no-one even tried to help. “When she explained the incident to me she sent me a WhatsApp message and I felt that when I knocked off I should call her. He said he last spoke to her on Monday afternoon when she got home.ĭakalo said her sister was in tears as she explained through WhatsApp texts what happened and how she thought she failed a test because of what happened to her that day. With Lufuno, I realised that the way she was so smart she deserved to be there ,” he said. “As a family all we want is for Lufuno to find justice from what she has faced, maybe after that her soul will rest in peace,” he said.ĭakalo said her sister wanted to become a doctor when she finished school so that she could treat her sickly mother. “That is what encouraged us to take her to Mbilwi Secondary School so that she could excel in maths and science. But the girl didn’t even give her a chance. She didn’t fight back when she was being slapped, she only tried to explain. “She was a very peaceful person and she had love, as her name suggests. Lufuno, whose name translates to “love”, was a peaceful person, Dakalo said. She then confronted the victim, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and Dakalo told TimesLIVE.
It is alleged that the perpetrator attacked Lufuno because she blocked her on WhatsApp and Facebook as she was sending insulting messages to her. Other pupils can be heard in the background cheering the alleged perpetrator, who is also in grade 10. Lufuno grabs the pupil who is assaulting her in an attempt to block the blows saying, “You are hurting me.” But the girl continues to assault her. One of them signals the other to move while she gets closer to her to slap Lufuno countless times. In the video, the 15-year-old grade 10 pupil from Mbilwi Secondary School in the Vhembe east education district is seen being confronted by two girls. Lufuno, from Nzhelele in Limpopo, allegedly committed suicide after a video of her being bullied by fellow pupils went viral. The 27-year-old Dakalo said on Wednesday the family was expecting great things from Lufuno, as she was the youngest and smartest in the family. Her departure has hurt us a lot,” said Dakalo Mavhunga, older brother of Lufuno Mavhunga, a bullied teen who committed suicide. “Lufuno was young and we were expecting more from her.