Lesufi ready to 'pounce' after video of teacher hitting sick child goes viral

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on Thursday said he battled to finish watching the video of a young child being beaten by her teacher as she forced the child to clean up her own vomit.

The 1.38-minute video has gone viral on social media. It shows the teacher lowering the denim jeans of the child before she gives her a couple of smacks on the buttocks.

The child, who is crying softly, looks up at the teacher as she continues to use a cloth to clean the small green plastic table in the classroom.

There are no other children seen in the clip. 

"Why are you vomiting? Why?" the teacher is heard repeatedly asking the child as she towers above her, her hands on her hips.

The child, dressed in a pink jersey with her hair tied in a little bun, doesn’t answer, but continues to scrub the desk.

The teacher then walks off shot and returns with a tissue, which she throws on the wet desk, telling the young child to wipe her face with it.

The child takes the tissue and begins to wipe her face, but all of a sudden the teacher hits her on the head numerous times.

The blows that land on the child’s head are loud, as the teacher repeatedly hits her.

The child, who has been silent throughout the ordeal, finally lets out an audible cry.

As she cries, the teacher points to her jeans, which seemingly have a vomit stain on them, and orders the child to wipe them clean.

Still crying, the child obliges.

"Why do you vomit?" the teacher asks again.

"Tell me, why are you vomiting? Is it nice to vomit?"

"No," the child answers, as she shakes her head.

"Why do you vomit now?" she continues.

When the child fails to give an answer, she is again slapped on the head numerous times.

The video ends with the teacher walking off shot.

It was not immediately clear who had taken the video, but the teacher appeared to be unaware that she was being filmed.

After being tagged in the video, Lesufi described it as "disgusting".

"I couldn’t even finish watching it," he continued.

He called on his team to find out where the creche is, adding that he was "ready to pounce".

Meanwhile, scores of people have reacted to the video, with some calling for its closure.

Others, who are parents with children at creche, expressed horror and outrage at the incident, saying they were concerned about what happened to their children in their absence.