A Marquard mother is demanding justice and accountability after her 14-year-old daughter suffered severe burns in an alleged attack by a fellow learner, an incident the provincial education department denies occurred on school premises.
The victim, a Grade 5 pupil at Itemoheng Primary School, spent two weeks in hospital recovering from burns to her chest and face, injuries that caused her to miss her year-end exams. Her family states the November 17th attack was the culmination of repeated bullying, including threats and theft.
According to the girl’s account, the alleged perpetrator had a history of targeting her. “The third incident, he threatened to stab me with a knife demanding my tin and I told my mom,” the victim said. “She then went to his place and now he burnt me.”
She described the day of the attack, stating she was playing skipping rope with friends behind school classes after hours when the boy returned with others. “They tied me with a rope on my hands and feet and he burnt me,” she alleged. One friend alerted a teacher, who instructed the girl to remove her burnt t-shirt, put on a jersey, and go home.
The child’s mother recounted collapsing after a neighbour called her at work. “My child has been burnt and needs to be rushed to hospital. I became weak and I fainted,” she said.
The mother reported she approached the school and police were summoned. “Police called some six learners and the one who burnt my child denied the allegations. But the other learners agreed that he did it,” she stated. “He only agreed that he had a lighter but is not working.”
Now, the mother feels isolated in her search for accountability. “I’m hurt and I don’t know what to say or do because no one is standing with me,” she said. “I want justice for my child, the school, and the parents of the perpetrator to pay.”
In a stark contrast to the family’s account, the provincial Education Department has denied the incident happened on school property or was formally reported. A departmental spokesperson stated, “Upon receiving this allegation, we did our investigation… in our knowledge the incident did not happen at the school.”
The spokesperson added, “Whilst we really sympathize with the learner [and] with the family, we have no knowledge and there’s no evidence.” The department claimed to have interviewed learners cited in reports, saying some provided an alibi that they were “somewhere in a dam.”
The victim, who loves playing skipping rope and indigenous games, says she now longs to regain her beauty and confidence. No arrests have been made.