EDITORIAL | We can’t allow our schools to become training grounds for bullies

Almost every year in SA there is either new research on bullying or a bullying incident that makes headlines.

The incident that probably sticks in South Africans’ minds most is the cyberbullying of 15-year-old Limpopo pupil Lufuno Mavhunga exactly a year ago, which resulted in her death. The grade 10 Limpopo schoolgirl took her own life in April 2021 after a video of her being bullied by fellow pupils went viral.

In the video, the pupil from Mbilwi Secondary School in the Vhembe East education district is confronted by two girls. One of bullies signals to the other to move, while she gets closer to the terrified Mavhunga to slap her countless times. Her attempts to block the blows are unsuccessful and the bully continues unabated, cheered on by her peers in the background.

The incident, which was widely reported in the mainstream media, left many South Africans shaken and was strongly condemned by education officials who described it as “disturbing”.

With the increasing use of social media among pupils, cyberbullying is likely to be on the increase too. This calls for more sustainable solutions to bullying and not just knee-jerk reactions from politicians.

Limpopo education MEC Polly Boshielo promised action against the bullies, saying “all those involved in bullying incidents need to face the consequences of their actions”, and that schools should “strengthen enforcement of their code of conduct”.

She promised to dispatch district psychosocial teams to the school to to attend to the affected pupils.

Nobody really knows if the interventions promised actually happened or how long they lasted, or if any tangible long-term solution was implemented after Lufuno’s death.

Now a year later a new study by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and anti-child abuse organisation the Teddy Bear Foundation has revealed even more disturbing news about bullying at our schools. It shows that pupils are not only subjected to bullying by their peers, but their teachers are sometimes perpetrators too.

Researchers state that bullying by teachers and peers is the biggest worry for the country’s pupils. A quarter of the respondents said they had experienced or witnessed bullying such as their peers being beaten, food being removed, stationery being stolen and insults. Abusive behaviour by teachers was one of the biggest worries of pupils who wanted to see their educators being more gentle and kind. Pupils were concerned about teachers being physically and emotionally abusive through corporal punishment, denigrating language and extortion of money.

In remembrance of Lufuno the Western Cape education department has launched an anti-bullying campaign, #StopTheShare, to discourage cyberbullying and the sharing or liking of online content that could be harmful to others. As part of this education awareness campaign the department has created resources that highlight the harm that online users inflict by simply liking, sharing or commenting on a harmful post.

The Western Cape’s gesture is good and will hopefully not only remind us of Lufuno’s tragic death, but inspire other education departments across the country, including Limpopo, to also come up with lasting solutions to solve the bullying epidemic in our schools. Research shows that victimised children don’t only end up performing poorly academically, but the psychological trauma of school bullying has also been shown to increase absenteeism, anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol use, and dropping out of school.

With the increasing use of social media among pupils, cyberbullying is likely to be on the increase too. This calls for more sustainable solutions to bullying and not just knee-jerk reactions from politicians. We need solutions that address the root cause of bullying, violence and societal inequalities that seem to stir up  so much anger and insecurity among our young citizens. We all need to stand up to ensure that our schools don’t become a training ground for bullies, but rather a training ground where young minds are moulded to be capable and sound-minded future leaders.