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- Thirteen boys have been burnt as part of an initiation ritual at a Free State school.
- Four senior pupils will face disciplinary action.
- It is alleged that irons were used to burn the Grade 8 boys.
The Free State education department is taking disciplinary action against four scholars after 13 Grade 8 pupils at Christiaan De Wet Combined School were burnt during an initiation ritual.
Department spokesperson Howard Ndaba said a social media post on the "gruesome bullying of a Grade 8 boy" in Dewetsdorp alerted the department to the incident.
In the post, which claimed that senior pupils used irons to burn younger boys living in the hostel, several burn wounds could be seen on a boy's arm.
The department described the initiation ritual as "barbaric" and said it was "outraged and disgusted".
Ndaba said the department had established that 13 other boys had similar burn marks that were meted out on 12, 13 and 15 November.
He said:
The matter has been reported to the police.
"The school management and the school governing body were not aware of this practice. According to some learners, this practice is done as part of ritual initiating fellow learners who have been part of Christiaan De Wet Combined School Hostel boarders," he said.
"Junior learners are being bullied, intimidated and forcefully burned with the hot objects on their arms. Those who resist or defy the order are threatened with more severe objects, such as hot iron on their chests."
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The department is investigating the matter.
