Gauteng School Faces Protests After Grade 8 Learner Assaulted in Alleged Bullying Attack

• Pupils at a school in Gauteng disrupted classes and broke fences during a protest at their school
• The protests came days after a grade 8 learner was allegedly assaulted by a gang at the Thuto Lesedi Secondary School
• The demonstration at the Vosloorus school affected teaching and learning and led to the principal being moved to a district office

Angry learners at Thuto Lesedi Secondary School took their frustrations to the streets in Vosloorus, Gauteng, on Friday, 1 August 2025. This comes after an alleged bullying incident that happened at the school during the week.

What happened at the school?

On Wednesday, 23 July 2025, a grade 8 learner was allegedly assaulted by a group of fellow learners. According to reports on social media, the alleged suspects wanted the school bag of the grade 8 learner. The victim was allegedly assaulted by a group of approximately four learners.

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The assault resulted in the victim being hospitalised with severe injuries. It was reported that the 16-year-old Thapelo Motha was admitted to the ICU with a fractured nose and needed surgery on his left eye.

What does the Gauteng Education Department say?

The Gauteng Education Department confirmed that it was alerted to the disruption caused by learners. Learners from four nearby schools protested at Thuto-Lesedi Secondary School. The protests resulted in the disruption of teaching and learning across the affected schools.

The department said that the three recently identified alleged suspects were suspended from school with immediate effect, pending the outcome of a disciplinary process. They will join a fourth suspect who had already been placed on suspension.

The principal of Thuto-Lesedi Secondary School was temporarily transferred to the District Office, pending the outcome of an internal investigation. This comes after allegations that bullying complaints were previously raised but not acted upon were made.

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"The Department urges all learners to return to school on Monday, 4 August 2025, as normal teaching and learning will continue," the department said.

South Africans weigh in

Social media users shared their opinions regarding the shocking incident.

@MrsMonnica said:

"The bullies would disappear one by one."

@Mr_HustleZA said:

"Someone do this to my kid and see the inner dark side of me. Tjerrr I would skin those little snakes alive."

@lsmrlisa said:

"Some schools are made up of terrifying people."

@BrLungi said:

"What if he was a bully too? Just asking."

@Pearl1550468 said:

"It’s so sad that children are not safe in schools anymore."

@mispaj said:

"For the school to say he was in a fight and fail to take action against the others who were involved in the "fight" is questionable. Those bullies deserve to go to jail, they're criminals."

@ledile_M_Setati said:

"Unfortunately the quiet ones suffer in silence. I know him as Mvulani,l taught him Grade 6,in 2022,very quiet. Shame man,sad to see him like this."

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Bullying incidents in South Africa

• A Limpopo matriculant was arrested in August 2023 and appeared in court after he allegedly stabbed and killed a learner in a suspected bullying incident.
• Idols star Sneziey Msomi slammed trolls who picked on her infant in December 2023 and trolled her daughter.
• A one-armed boy shut a troll down in October 2024 when he showed that he could open a Coke bottle with his hand.
• The South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested seven girls between the ages of 13 and 14 after an incident of bullying took place on 10 May 2025.
• Pretoria High School for Girls has suspended a dozen learners following allegations of racism and bullying.

KZN matriculants flee after bully threatens to stab them

Briefly News previously reported that two Grade 12 girls from a high school in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, narrowly escaped an armed attack from their bully.

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After several weeks of bullying, the girls were forced to turn to a private security company, Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), for help on Monday, 14 August.

Source: Briefly News