Family of boy left paralysed after alleged assault by principal to sue education department

The family of a 14-year-old boy who was left paralysed after he was allegedly assaulted by his school principal in Middleburg‚ Mpumalanga‚ says it plans to sue the department of education.

The boy’s uncle‚ Johannes Choma‚ said on Tuesday the family was saddened by the fact that the Manyano Primary School principal who assaulted the boy for allegedly stealing R150 from a teacher at the school had only been suspended.

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 “We informed the department about the incident in the same period we opened the case. Both the police and the department of education did not take up the case until recently when we contacted the SABC to help us. As a result we are planning to sue the department.

 “We opened a case with the police in 2016 June 12 and nothing was done ever since. My nephew’s life has changed dramatically; he cannot move his legs and his spinal cord is paralysed‚” Choma said.

 “The principal treated us with disregard‚ because after he took the boy to the hospital he left him there and never came back to us to tell us what had happened at the hospital. We had to go and check the boy after the principal abandoned him there‚” Choma charged.

Mpumalanga department of education communication officer Mandisa Ndlovu‚ said on Tuesday: “The suspension of the principal was done and is effective from yesterday.”

 The suspension followed an SABC News broadcast of the alleged assault this past weekend.