Mother fights back against school bullying and extortion

A VERULAM mother is pursuing legal action against bullies who allegedly extorted nearly R9 000 from her 13-year-old daughter in school.

Nevashni Naidoo, 41, a self-employed mother of two, said the trauma of the bullying had marred her daughter’s first year of high school.Her daughter is a Grade 8 pupil at Mountview Secondary.

She said her daughter’s classmates witnessed the bullying and extortion, and reported it to the school principal, and she was advised about the incident by a teacher.

“My daughter was forced to smoke a vape. When she refused and threw it in the bin, she was assaulted by a group of children. They threatened her and asked her to pay a large amount of money or else they threatened to beat her up every day.“

"These bullies threatened her three times more, at school. They even threatened her at knifepoint, telephonically and via WhatsApp.

“They went as far as to threaten me and my son’s life by saying they would have us murdered by a gangster. They took money from her on four separate occasions,” Naidoo claimed.

She said the bullies first extorted R2 600, then R4 000, R800 and finally R1 500.

“My daughter receives an allowance every month from us and our extended family. Her birthday was just a few months ago and she had received agood sum. This is the moneyshe used to pay the bullies,” she said.

Naidoo said she was upset when she found out that the bullying started in the first term, just as she entered her new school.

“The bullying and extortion was done by a group of children. However, my daughter could only point out the three who physically threatened her and took the money,” she added.

Naidoo said when she confronted the school and demanded answers, she was met with a deafening silence.

“I conducted my own investigation and reported everything to the school office where the disciplinary teacher and deputy principal said they would handle the matter.

“However, the school took the matter lightly, explaining that there were steps to follow. They asked all the children involved for statements even though I explained that she was not aware of all the culprits’ names.”

Naidoo then reported the matter to the school governing body (SGB), but claimed they showed no interest in resolving the matter. She said despite several meetings, her daughter continued to be bullied.

“A disciplinary tribunal hearing was held on August 12 by the SGB. However, I decided not to attend. The hearing was to address the allegations of extortion,” Naidoo said.

She was told a final decision would be taken in her absentia.

“After the information meeting in July, I felt that they were very prejudiced in dealing with my daughter’s case. That left her with a lower self-esteem, so I chose not to take her to the tribunal as she was denied legal representation.

“They informed me that the hearing would continue, but I could not attend without my daughter.“I was contacted by the deputy principal a day later, asking if I would like to drop the case. I said ‘no’. He then said they were busy, and would get back to me in a month’s time – in September.

“After getting no joy from the school I reported the matter to Verulam SAPS, who arrested and charged the three accused boys. Such malicious behaviour should be reported to higher authorities to get much-needed help.

“This had a detrimental impact on my daughter, mentally, physically and physiologically, to the point of depression and extreme anxiety. She has major trust issues and prefers being at home in her safe zone. In the first term, as proof of her bullying, she was constantly sick and wanted to stay at home,” said Naidoo.

She said she wanted justice for her daughter.

Indran Govender, the principal of Mountview Secondary, said the school had followed all due processes in respect of the school code of conduct.

“We conducted all internal processes, including disciplinary hearings which are required by the school’s code of conduct. The relevant sanctions, where warranted, were issued.

“We care about our pupils which is why we have a zero-tolerance on bullying or violence at our school. We listen to our pupils, and guide and encourage them to make correct decisions,” said Govender.

Muzi Mahlambi, spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, said: “We have alerted the circuit manager to attend to the case. We attended a senior management meeting, where we discussed the causes of the suicides. One of the main reasons, that the senior management agreed on, is that it is due to bullying.

“The issue of bullying cannot be delinked with the social ills, most of such behaviours at school can most of the time be traced to the home,” said Mahlambi.

The SGB declined to comment.

Colonel Robert Netshiunda, spokesperson for the KZN police, said: “Police arrested three pupils aged between 13 and 14 following an incident in which a 13-year-old girl was allegedly threatened and forced to pay a protection fee.

“An undisclosed amount of money was allegedly paid on different occasions to the suspects.

”The three minor accused appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on charges of extortion. The matter was transferred to the Child Justice Court, and those accused were released into the custody of their guardians."

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