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'Pupil assaulted at school'

A Port Elizabeth teenager will under go an operation today after he was allegedly assaulted by a fellow pupil in front of his teacher and classmates.

Tembile Matse, 15, a grade 8 pupil at Bethelsdorp High School was admitted to Livingstone Hospital after allegedly being repeatedly kicked in the head.

Doctors said he suffered internal bleeding and as a result, the blood would have to be drained today.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Tembile said the Grade 8 pupil approached him during the Economic & Management Sciences (EMS) lesson last Wednesday.

“They demanded that I should go outside with them and I refused. That was the mistake that nearly cost me my life. He came charging towards me giving me three warm klaps [hard smacks]. I could not defend myself as he was with his friends and I was worried that they would gang up on me,” he said.

Tembile said all this happened in front of his teacher.

“He tripped me and I fell down. I remember that he kicked me three times in the head before I passed out. I woke up a few minutes later in the staff room and they called my father,” he said.

Dan Matse, 54, said he was very angry, even more so because it happened in front of a teacher.

“I don’t know how will this operation affect him because he is still young. When I first heard about the incident I wanted to hurt the boy, to let him feel the same pain,” he said.

“I realised that it is not worth it and that I should rather let the law takes its course. The school should do something about him because I am scared of what he might do to my son when he returns to school.”

Dan said he was not happy that his son was undergoing an operation with the end of year exams looming.

The angry father said he was still waiting for the doctor’s results before he could lay a complaint of assault.

Principal Leon Arendse said the boy had been suspended for five days for misbehaving at school.

The teacher would remain in his post for now.

“We are busy with the investigations and I have also involved the School Governing Body in this matter. In two weeks time there will be a DC hearing [for the teacher]. I have already spoken to the father of the suspect about his son’s behaviour, something that we cannot tolerate in this school,” he said.

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