A five-year-old grade R pupil has missed school for a week because he was sent home for relieving himself on a toilet seat.

The pupil from Tshelapedi primary school in Makhusha village outside Mokopane, who is under the care of his sick grandmother, was sent home for allegedly "messing up the seat".

He was apparently told he will only be allowed to return when his parents have come to clean up his mess.

The pupil's 30-year-old mother told Sowetan that she received a call from a school principal telling her that she should immediately come to the school and bring cleaning materials.

"When I got the call I was at work in Lephalale and I had left my son at home with my mother. I told her [the principal] it is impossible for my mother to come there because she is not feeling well.

"The following day, my son was turned away because no one came to clean the toilet. My son has missed six days of schooling because of the incident."

The mother said that last Monday she called some of her neighbours and asked them to accompany her son to school.

"On the same day I called my mother to check if he was back at school, only to be told he was chased away and returned home. He was turned away three times during the course of last week and when I called the principal, she said she will deal with my son," the mother said.

Department of education spokesman Sam Makondo said: "These are very serious allegations and we will further investigate the circumstances that led to the suspension of the child."

The boy's mother said every parent contributes R10 a month for school cleaners. "I find it very concerning because I'm paying for those cleaners and they are hired to clean the school, not the parents. I want the MEC to fire the principal because my son hates school now and the incident has affected him emotionally."

The pupil's 63-year-old grandmother said she didn't know what to do any more.

"I have been worried about my grandson and the manner he was treated. It is unfair what the principal did to him. Even if I wanted to go clean up his mess, I wouldn't be able to because my legs can't carry me that far. And everybody in the village knows I'm not well."