Police join hunt for young man who assaulted schoolgirl

KwaZulu-Natal education officials contacted at least two schools on Thursday morning to try to get to the bottom of a brutal assault‚ captured on video‚ of a schoolgirl.

However‚ at one of the schools in the northern reaches of the province‚ it was simply a case of mistaken identity based on a similar uniform. The principal of another school also told officials that it was not his institution.

An official told TimesLIVE there had been a meeting on Thursday morning between officials and South African Police Service crime intelligence officials to get assistance.

The hunt is still on for the perpetrator whose assault video has gone viral. It is believed – both by provincial and national officials – that the school is in KwaZulu-Natal.

The 20-second clip shows a young man‚ presumably a schoolboy‚ kicking and hitting a uniformed girl‚ knocking her to the ground. The perpetrator continues to kick the girl in the head and back of the neck while insulting her.

Towards the end of the clip, another boy appears but does not stop the assault – in fact‚ it sounds like he is condoning what is happening.

The KwaZulu-Natal department of education issued a statement saying it was working hard to eliminate bullying at schools. It urged social media users to refrain from circulating the video.

"We expect all our schools to have an anti-bullying policy that seeks to protect all children. It is very important that learners know that all forms of bullying are totally unacceptable within the school‚" said Kwazi Mthethwa‚ spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for education, Mthandeni Dlungwana.

WATCH: Young man hits and kicks schoolgirl in violent attack

(warning: graphic footage)

Mthethwa said bullying was sometimes a sign that the culprit was experiencing problems at home.

"We therefore call upon teachers‚ parents‚ SGBs [school governing bodies] and society at large to report such incidents to our authorities as and when they occur. In addition‚ the department is prepared to work with the bully to help them find alternative ways of behaving. Lastly we urge social media users to stop circulating this terrible video clip to protect the victim‚" he said.

Meanwhile‚ the national Department of Education has also weighed in.

"The department will ensure that the strongest action possible is taken against the offending learner. We view gender-based violence in a very serious light and we expect the police to ensure that the perpetrator is brought to justice as a matter of urgency‚" the department said.

It added that it would take care of the assaulted girl's medical needs.