The family of a 16-year-old Grade 10 learner from Tswelelopele High School in Itsoseng has opened a criminal case of assault against her teacher, alleging she was repeatedly hit on the head with a cell phone during a physical science lesson last month.
The incident, which allegedly occurred on July 31, 2025, has left the learner with ongoing dizziness, hearing loss in one ear, and required ongoing medical attention, including a brain scan.
According to the learner’s father, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his minor daughter, the child returned home from school complaining of a severe headache and dizziness. It was only upon further questioning that evening that she revealed the alleged assault by her teacher.
“She was assaulted in the manner of the teacher using an iPhone on her head,” the father stated. “There was no visible injury at that point.”
The learner attempted to attend school the following day to write a test but the pain persisted over the weekend, prompting the family to visit the school principal on August 4. The family expressed deep disappointment with the principal’s response, which they claim was to instruct them to take the child to a doctor and “bring the bill to the class teacher.”
“Our intention there was to find out exactly what happened and also to reprimand the class teacher,” the father said. He alleged that the principal failed to adequately address the situation or provide answers, leading them to seek legal action on medical advice.
The learner’s account of the incident states that she was assisting a fellow classmate during a physical science lesson, as the teacher had encouraged, when the teacher allegedly struck her on the head with a cell phone after mistakenly believing the wrong answer was hers.
The matter is now before the courts. The accused teacher made an initial appearance in the local magistrate’s court this week and is expected to appear again in September.
The family is also calling for intervention from the Provincial Department of Education, claiming they have received no communication or action from officials despite reporting the matter. The father highlighted that corporal punishment was banned in South African schools in 1997.
“We want the department to take action because obviously this is a criminal [matter], but also they need to take their own responsibility as a department,” he said, adding that the emotional and physical toll on his daughter is severe. “The child is emotionally [affected]… and the same teacher is the one who’s still teaching.”
The learner remains on daily medication while the family awaits the results of a recent brain scan. The who live in Bodibe, indicated that efforts are underway to get official comment from the North West Department of Education and the South African Police Service.
