YESTERDAY, we ran a sad story involving a Zimbabwean student who was bullied to death in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The matter, which is under investigation, has left the Zimbabwean community in Gauteng in shock.
And, back home, we are also equally gutted.
It’s hard to believe a young flower has been bullied to death.
The Gauteng Department of Education and the South African Police Service are expected to bring the culprits to book.
It’s a case which needs thorough investigations to save other children from bullying.
These culprits should pay for their sins.
The 15-year-old died after he was forced to drink rat poison by a group of boys in the toilet.
The family sought for medical help but to no avail.
The deceased is said to have mentioned the names of the four boys who forced him to ingest rat poison.
With the post-mortem expected to clear the air, there is no question that this level of bullying is not acceptable.
The deceased athlete badly needed protection against the bullies.
It’s unfortunate he only opened up about the bullying issue while on his deathbed.
Victims of bullying need our support to speak out and expose these perpetrators.
A number of victims can’t speak out against these menacing bullies.
It’s very unfortunate that most of these bullies are still on the loose.
This has made life difficult for many students who just want to come to school to learn.
Bullying is not only rampant in South Africa but everywhere on the continent and in the world.
We all need to guard against bullying for the safety of our children.
School authorities need to take a leading role to weed out these bullies.
In Zimbabwe, we have had serious cases of students who have committed suicide because of bullying.
Most kids are fragile and they don’t have the character to speak out against these bullies.
School teachers, who spend most of the time with these students, should also assist victims of bullying who would be suffering psychologically.
The students tend to bottle this kind of abuse.
As such, parents/guardians need to have time with their children and hear their stories.
Parents/guardians should create a healthy environment, which enables their children to speak out about anything.
One of the issues, which they need to open up about is bullying.
This culture has been going on for years but nowadays it has reached alarming levels.
The continued loss of life as a result of bullying is totally unacceptable and unwanted.
These barbaric acts should never be tolerated as students’ lives are now at risk.
The school environment should be used as a sanctuary for students chasing their dreams.
It should not be used as a death trap to young and ambitious students who are following their dreams.
School children need protection against bullying.
It’s high time various stakeholders, including children’s rights groups, take a firm stance against bullying in schools.