A Phoenix mother has opened a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm against a teacher at Havenpark Secondary School after her 16-year-old daughter was allegedly struck repeatedly with a wooden plank. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed on 10 September that the case had been registered, and that the Grade 10 pupil was allegedly assaulted after arriving late for class.
The mother, Krishnee Pillay, said the incident happened on about 28 August and that her daughter, Teral Rampartab, was struck more than five times on the arm and lower back. The teacher has denied the allegations, according to Pillay’s account of two meetings held at the school in the days that followed.
“My child told me, ‘Mummy, I won’t complain, but I am in too much pain’,” Pillay told The Post, which first reported the case on 9 September. IOL carried further detail on 10 September, and Cape Flats News has relied on those published accounts plus the SAPS confirmation for this report.
Netshiunda did not name the teacher or say whether an arrest had been made. “It is reported that the victim was late to class and the suspect assaulted her with a plank,” he said.
Pillay said she first raised the complaint with the school governing body chairperson after failing to reach the deputy principal. She has also alleged that the principal shouted at her and called security during a second meeting, and that a classmate called as a witness said she saw nothing.
The pupil later returned to school still in pain, according to her mother, who said a doctor diagnosed tissue damage that would take between eight and 10 weeks to heal. Cape Flats News has not seen a medical report, and none of the events described inside the school meetings have been independently confirmed.
Havenpark Secondary governing body chairperson Lucy Govender confirmed the complaint was reported to her and referred to the principal and circuit manager. “The SGB of Havenpark Secondary does not support or condone any form of corporal punishment or any form of harm to pupils,” Govender said.
Corporal punishment has been prohibited in South African schools since 1996, and the South African Schools Act bars educators from using physical force against pupils. Assault charges can be laid against teachers, and the KZN Parents Association said such allegations must be tested properly on the facts rather than settled inside a staffroom.
“When a teacher physically assaults a pupil, the matter goes beyond ordinary school discipline,” association chairperson Vee Gani said. “Assault is a criminal matter and can have serious consequences for the person responsible.”
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education had not responded to queries from IOL by the time its report was published. The teacher has not appeared in court, no charge has been tested before a magistrate, and the allegations against the principal and the teacher’s family members remain unverified.
What is still unknown is whether the National Prosecuting Authority will prosecute and whether the education department will open a separate disciplinary process. Cape Flats News will check with SAPS Phoenix and the KZN education department on Monday 14 September for an update.