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A Gqeberha mother has removed her child from a private school and initiated legal action against it after alleging that pupils had subjected her daughter to relentless verbal and online bullying.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a growing trend of bullying incidents across SA, with experts warning that children, particularly teenagers, have been forced to navigate a new cyber environment where perpetrators are able to taunt their peers without physical confrontation — a dynamic that often emboldens the oppressors.
The teen has been attending online schooling after her mother removed her from Curro Westbrook in February.
The mother claimed her daughter had suffered anguish and trauma as a result of alleged relentless cyber and verbal bullying dating back to 2024.
The woman, who is not being named to protect her daughter’s identity, has since instructed attorney Bashier Moosa to institute legal action in pursuit of a damages claim.
Curro Westbrook confirmed receiving the lawyer’s letter earlier in June and said the school’s legal department would be advising it on the matter.
In the letter, addressed to the operational head of Curro Westbrook, Moosa said the mother had taken the situation up with the school but was not satisfied with its response.
“Little to nothing has been done to reprimand the perpetrators but rather attempts were made to belittle the situation,” the letter alleged.
“The approach by the school did not support [name redacted] or her mental situation in any manner and neither did she receive the required justice which the school had the onus of doing.
“Our instructions are to express our client’s dissatisfaction in the manner the school dealt with the situation.
“As soon as our client has dealt with her daughter’s wellbeing, our instructions are to proceed with a damages claim against the school.”
Curro head of legal Louis Booyse said the matter was being handled through legal representatives and that the school did not discuss issues related to pupils or former pupils with any third party.
“Curro has extensive policies and legislative frameworks within which any form of bullying is managed.”
The 44-year-old mother alleged her daughter had experienced bullying for more than a year before a psychologist advised her to remove her from the school.
“There is this clique of kids who have [allegedly] been out to get her for over a year, and ... we decided it was time to take our daughter out of the school.
“I complained to the school every time there was an incident but still nothing has been done.”
The business owner and mother of two demanded accountability and for the pupils involved to be punished accordingly.
“I wrote a letter to the principal and said he was giving power to people who were bullies and I told him that 2026 was going to be a tough year and that is exactly what has happened.
“On the 4th of February my daughter finally stood up for herself and asked the bullies why she was a target and then one of the teachers [allegedly] stepped in and reprimanded her for being disrespectful to the portfolio leaders.
“She was taken to the principal’s office where I was called and it escalated from there.
“I told them this was exactly what I had been complaining about.”
She alleged she was told that without evidence, there was nothing they could do.
“I later emailed the principal screenshots of WhatsApp conversations to prove my daughter was being bullied and all that happened was that the kids all just got warnings,” she alleged.
The woman said that while the details of the damages were being discussed with her lawyer, her main goal was for the school to take responsibility for the trauma.
“She [daughter] withdrew from all of her friends, she didn’t speak to her sister or her father and she isolated herself for weeks before she was back to normal.”
Several experts warned parents to be conscious of their children’s moods and demeanours should they suspect bullying, and urged them to put security measures on devices particularly ahead of the upcoming school holidays when pupils were expected to experience more screen time.
Nelson Mandela University executive dean of health sciences Prof Zukiswa Zingela said adolescence was a period during which identity, belonging, self-worth and social positioning were still actively developing and that peer acceptance carried enormous emotional weight.
“The emotional and mental health effects can include anxiety, depressed moods, social withdrawal, loss of confidence, disrupted sleep, concentration difficulties, declining academic functioning and, in more severe cases, trauma responses, self-harm thoughts or suicidal thinking.
“Importantly, the impact is not determined only by what was said but also by frequency, power imbalance, public humiliation, social exclusion and the young person’s perception of threat and isolation.”
Zingela said that for parents, one of the most important protective factors was maintaining a relationship in which the child felt safe to disclose difficult experiences.
“Children often delay telling adults because they fear losing access to devices, being blamed or being told to simply ignore it.
“Parents should take reports seriously, remain calm, document evidence, work collaboratively with the school where appropriate, monitor behavioural changes and seek professional support if there are signs of sustained distress, withdrawal, functional decline or emerging risk behaviours.”
Zingela said schools had a responsibility to deal with these matters sensitively, with a good balance between confidentiality, privacy and appropriate consequence management for the perpetrators.
The Digital Law Company lawyer Monet du Plessis said she provided training on responsible social media usage in schools across SA as the digital landscape presented issues that parents and schools might not be aware of.
“Every scenario is different, but bullying is basically when the intention to cause harm becomes repeated or severe, especially if there is a power imbalance,” Du Plessis said.
“If the bullying occurs at the school or the harmful effect of the bullying is felt at the school, the school has the responsibility to intervene and act in line with its code of conduct and disciplinary processes.
“If the bullying has an effect on academic performance or the child feeling safe at the school, the school has a duty to provide a safe space where learners can flourish.
“Threatening someone is against the law, threatening violence can result in a criminal offence under the Cyber Crimes Act.”
Du Plessis said the distribution of screenshots from private chat groups could also be unlawful.
Education expert Prof Susan van Rensburg said the emotional toll on cyberbullying victims in SA was severe because digital harassment could happen 24/7 and victims felt there was no safe haven.
“Fake accounts or the physical distance of screens provide a false sense of security, allowing them [bullies] to say things they wouldn’t dare utter to someone’s face.”
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