KZN mother's harrowing ordeal as her child is locked in classroom overnight

18 April 2019 - 12:28 By Orrin Singh and Lwandile Bhengu
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An eight-year-old pupil at Blessed Luanda Primary School in Bulwer, west of Durban, spent 17 hours locked in a classroom overnight for allegedly not doing his homework.
An eight-year-old pupil at Blessed Luanda Primary School in Bulwer, west of Durban, spent 17 hours locked in a classroom overnight for allegedly not doing his homework.
Image: Gallo Images/Thinkstock

A KZN mother has described the harrowing ordeal of having to search for her eight-year-old son after he had not returned home from school on Tuesday. 

Slindile Phoswa spoke exclusively to TimesLIVE after her son was locked overnight in his classroom at Blessed Luanda Primary School in Bulwer, west of Durban, for allegedly not doing his school work. 

The child spent about 17 hours alone in the classroom - from about 2pm until 6.30am -  before his cries were heard. 

"At first I wasn't worried when he didn't come home directly after school but he is a kid who likes playing with his friends after school."

Phoswa said she began panicking after 5pm when there was no sign of her boy. 

"I started calling my mom and his father's house to see if maybe he didn't go there after school. I also went to the kids who went to school with him, and they told me that he was at school that day but they hadn't seen him after school."

At around 10.30pm, and now emotionally distraught, the Donnybrook mother went to the police station to report him missing.

"The police took my statement and I gave them a picture of him. They suggested we search along the route he used to get to school so in the morning my family and I started a mini campaign in search of him."

She said while they had been searching someone informed her that a child had heard screams for help coming from one of the classrooms at the school shortly after 7am. 

"When we got to him, I couldn't hold back the emotions. I just burst into tears because he looked so tired and weak and he told me how hungry he was. We went to a house nearby and they made him two slices of bread but he was still hungry and that broke my heart."

Phoswa said her son did not attend school on Thursday as she took him to a clinic . 

"He is fine now but he didn't go to school because I took him to the clinic because he has been complaining about being in pain."

She said she and the child's father had a meeting at the school on Wednesday and the teacher allegedly apologised.

Meanwhile, the teacher who has since been suspended, has also been charged with ill-treatment of a child.

Police spokesperson Col Thembeka Mbele confirmed that a case had been opened for investigation by Donnybrook police.

"It is alleged that on Tuesday afternoon an eight-year-old boy was locked overnight inside the classroom by the suspect after the child failed to complete his school work. The docket will be transferred to Port Shepstone Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for further investigation," she said. 

Provincial education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said MEC for education Mthandeni Dlungwana was unable to get out of his prior commitments but would be paying a visit to the school and the pupil's family after the Easter weekend.


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