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Wednesday 15 June 2016

HEAD REPORTED TO POLICE AFTER CANING

A school principal in Swaziland has been reported to police after allegedly giving a 20-year-old female student nine strokes of the cane on the buttocks.

The incident reportedly happened at the Herefords High School, according to a report in the Swazi Observer newspaper on Wednesday (15 June 2016). 

The newspaper said the young woman who they named, ‘was badly injured after the thrashing and a case of assault has been opened with the Buhleni Police,’ against Principal Colsile Maphanga.

The newspaper quoted an anonymous teacher at the school who said the alleged assault happened on Monday 13 June 2016. ‘After assembly, the said pupil was called by a teacher to go to the deputy’s office. She was taken to the principal’s office, apparently because she is troublesome,’ the teacher said.

The newspaper reported, ‘She was given nine strokes on the buttocks by the principal while the deputy helped her by holding the pupil’s hands as she was made to lie down, said the source.’

The Observer reported the young woman’s father, ‘said the bruises were not only visible but also bad as he claimed his daughter had difficulty sitting down’. 

The newspaper reported Maphanga disputed all the claims laid against her.

Corporal punishment in Swazi schools is widespread and there have been a number of bizarre cases reported in the kingdom’s media in recent years.

As recently as September 2015, the Times reported a 17-year-old school pupil died after allegedly being beaten at school. The pupil reportedly had a seizure.

In March 2015, a primary school teacher at the Florence Christian Academy was charged with causing grievous bodily harm after allegedly giving 200 strokes of the cane to a 12-year-old pupil on her buttocks and all over her body.

In February 2015, the headteacher of Mayiwane High School Anderson Mkhonta reportedly admitted giving 15 strokes to a form 1 pupil for not wearing a neck tie properly.

In April 2015, parents reportedly complained to the Ndlalane Primary School after a teacher beat pupils for not following his instruction and shaving their hair. 

In October 2014, 20 pupils were thrashed before they sat an examination because they had been absent from school studying for the exam the previous day.

Girls at Mpofu High School were reportedly flogged by teachers on their bare flesh and if they resisted they were chained down so the beating could continue. They said they received up to 40 strokes at a time.

In 2011, it was reported that Edward Khayoni, Principal at Elangeni High School, had administered public floggings to adults who dated girls from his school. The men reportedly were forced to attend in front of the entire school, lie down on a bench and receive a whipping. The girls were also flogged.

In March 2016, it was reported there had been 4,556 cases of ‘severe corporal punishment’ of children in Swaziland’s schools over the past four years.

See also

SWAZI SCHOOL ‘TORTURES’ STUDENTS
 
CHILDREN CHAINED AND FLOGGED BARE
PROBE VICIOUS SCHOOL BEATINGS
 
SCHOOL FLOGGINGS OUT OF CONTROL
 
SCHOOL HEAD PUBLICLY FLOGS ADULTS

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