An angry mom wants a Grassy Park school to take action after her child’s neck was sliced with a box-cutter at school by a Grade 3 learner.
The victim, 8, was standing in a queue waiting to wash his hands when the learner cut him with the blade in Stephen Road Primary School.
The Ottery mom, 42, said she had been trying to speak to the school so they could expel the boy.
The incident happened on Monday just before the children were about to eat.
“The teacher wasn’t there at the time and the boy went straight to him and that is what makes me believe the whole thing was premeditated.
“I had to ask other kids because I didn’t want to hear just one side of the story, they told me the perpetrator stabbed him as he was walking past.
“He said he didn’t feel anything, he just stood there as he was bleeding. When I asked him why he didn’t react to the slicing, he said it wasn’t sore.
“The boy could have killed my son as he was stabbed in the left side of his neck, if the box-cutter was sharper and went any deeper, my son would have died,” she said.
The Ottery mom suspects her child is a victim of bullying.
“I believe that he is being bullied by the same boy or that there was a fight the previous week which then turned into this violent attack and maybe that is why he was too afraid to report him.
“I asked him why he didn’t tell the teacher and he just looked at me.
“If someone cuts you with a blade you will react. This made me wonder what else the boy did to my son and what will he do next.
“This is the reason I want him to be expelled from the school and not suspended, he was given extra days for his holidays,” she said.
The mom said when she received the call about the incident, she was furious.
“I was afraid of myself on the day the incident happened. I would have killed him, but now that I have calmed down, I realised that the child is crying out for help.
“Maybe he is exposed to a violent environment, because what Grade 3 learner would just take a blade and slice someone’s neck and know that he would get away with it.
“Both boys need counselling. I can just tell that the other boy is damaged, I’m even worried that my son is not as traumatised as I am,” she said.
The mom explained she wants to know her child is safe when he enters the school.
“I don’t want my child to die in that school, this boy has proven to be dangerous and I don’t want him near my child.
“The worst part is that I didn’t get any assistance or cooperation from the principal, instead the secretary kept telling me that the principal wasn't there.
“I feel like no one wants to listen to my son’s case. I didn’t think of going to the police because the boy is very young.
“The department needs to do something about this case because this school is not new to stabbings, a child died there, some years ago,” she said.
Western Cape Education Department spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond said there would be a disciplinary hearing.
“The school has followed all the reporting procedures in terms of protocol. Further interventions are planned,” she said.
Dane Darries, 11, was stabbed 11 times inside a toilet at Stephen Road Primary School in February, 2006 and died from his injuries.
Police have still not arrested anyone for the murder, but said they would re-open the case, should new information emerge.
Weekend Argus