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16 April 2021 Year 31 Vol: 31
R5,00 VAT Inc.
ISSN 2409-6784
No “erupting volcano” at Matangari village - page 2
“We don’t want foreigners here” - page 5
Audited Distribution Figures
31
9 772409 678005
Bullied to death? 15-year-old girl takes own life after assault at her school
By Maanda Bele A 15-year-old girl from Mbilwi Secondary School was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the bullying incident that played out at the school on Monday. A young learner from the same school, who was the victim of the assault, allegedly committed suicide on Monday afternoon. Video clips of the girl being harassed started circulating on Monday, not long after the incident took place. The video footage shows a group of girls in Mbilwi uniform confronting another schoolgirl, identified as Lufuno Mavhungu. One girl starts to hit Lufuno violently and repeatedly, pushing her around and pulling at her hair while the rest surround them. While this is happening a crowd of amused onlookers take videos using their cell phones from different angles. Lufuno doesn’t fight back and no-one tries to help her while this abuse goes on and on. That same evening news started circulating on social media that Lufuno had committed suicide.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed Lufuno’s death. “The police in Siloam outside Thohoyandou have opened an inquest case after a 15-year-old girl allegedly died on arrival at the Siloam hospital on Monday evening of 12 April 2021 at about 18:30,” he said. According to the police statement, Lufuno arrived home from school that day and told her mother that she was beaten up by another learner. She then locked herself up in her room and allegedly consumed an overdose of pills. Her mother later found Lufuno unconscious in her room and she was rushed to hospital. The police received a call from Siloam hospital, who informed them that Lufuno was brought in and certified dead on arrival at the hospital. On Tuesday, after news of her death was made public, social media platforms were abuzz with the “#JusticeforLufuno” topic. At Mbilwi Secondary School children cried uncontrollably and the angry ones vied for the blood of the “bully”. Apparently, this was not the first case
of bullying of this nature at the school. In fact, according to some learners of Mbilwi Secondary, bullying has become a “common thing” at their top school. One learner, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they were angry at the school management for acting as if everything was normal, while they knew what had happened. “We are very angry. More especially because we hear that the parents have previously reported to the principal (on the bullying), but nothing was done about it,” she said. “We are not safe there, so many fights have taken place even here on our school premises. We want justice for Lufuno and the perpetrator should face the music and be expelled from school,” she said. Judging by Lufuno’s social media postings, she was clearly affected by some sort of bullying. She called herself ‘Trash Boat’ on social media which, according to the Urban dictionary, means an undesirable/unwanted/rejected person or object. (Continues on page 2)
A screenshot from the video that circulated on social media of the late Lufuno Mavhunga, a 15-year-old learner at Mbilwe Secondary School, being physically bullied. She commited suicide shortly afterwards.
SINCE 1959