Actress Lele Ledwaba is prepared to fight tooth and nail to get justice for her son who was allegedly kicked, punched and pushed around by another learner at one of the prominent schools in Johannesburg.
The actress, who is popularly known for her role as Pinkie on SABC2 comedy show Stokvel, said she had to take her 10-year-old son to therapy for trauma as a result of the incident three weeks ago.
The King Edward VII Preparatory School, added Ledwaba, has not taken any action against the alleged perpetrator, telling her that the incident is not classified as bullying.
This because it happened only once, according to the school.
Ledwaba said the school has told her that it has launched an investigation into the incident, and subjected her son to an interview which was also attended by the alleged perpetrator.
The grilling is said to have taken place on Wednesday and without the presence of the parents.
In a series of e-mails sent to the school which Sunday World have seen, Ledwaba explains that her son is suffering from emotional and psychological trauma following the incident.
“It has come to my attention that my son was subjected to a violent bullying incident while on school grounds. To say that I am outraged and appalled by this situation would be a gross understatement,” reads Ledwaba’s e-mail to the school.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for any child to experience such brutality while under the supposed care and supervision of your school.”
Actress demands investigation
The actress demanded a thorough investigation and that counselling and support services be offered to her son.
Continues the e-mail: “I want to emphasise that I hold King Edward VII Preparatory School responsible for the safety and security of my child while he is in your care.
“It is your duty to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all students, and failure to do so is a grave breach of trust.”
In response, the school headmaster Dave Ernstzen told Ledwaba that he enquired with his staff, who told him that they were not aware of the incident.
“I am also not sure why [child’s name withheld] did not report this incident to the numerous staff on duty at the field,” wrote Ernstzen.
He added that a teacher reported that the actress’ son said he had stomach pain on the day, and then left with his mother shortly.
“I assure that we take the safety our boys seriously, and the necessary disciplinary measures are in place to deal with such issues,” wrote Ernstzen.
However, the actress said it has been three weeks and the school has not taken any action or updated her on the investigation.
She said she approached the department of education in Gauteng to intervene and has also reported the matter at the Yeoville police station.
“The police station advised that we allow the school to handle the matter since it is a bullying incident,” she added.
“They said we can still open the case as assault, but since [the] perpetrator is 10 years old, it will be treated as a juvenile case.”
A detailed e-mail was sent to the school for a reply, but no comment was received by the time of publishing.
