A video of a schoolgirl being assaulted has been sent to all 12 education districts in KwaZulu-Natal as the department of education scrambles to find the name of the school so it can act.
The unverified video‚ which has gone viral on social media‚ shows a girl in a blue school uniform being hit to the floor and then kicked in the back and head as she sits.
A boy‚ apparently from the same unidentified school‚ inflicts such a savage beating that the girl stumbles as she gets to her feet‚ clearly dizzy from the assault. She also appears to be bleeding.
KZN education spokesman Muzi Mahlambi said he was "so disturbed" by the video that he couldn't even watch to the end of the 22-second clip.
"I promise you‚ once we find out the school‚ we will rush there. We will take harsh action against anyone involved. This kind of brutal and unacceptable assault cannot happen in our schools.
"We have sent the video to all 12 district managers to find out the name of this school. We had also set it to national in case it's not in KZN. But I can risk speaking on behalf of other provinces: if this happened in KZN or Free State or anywhere else‚ from the MECs to the heads of department‚ it will be condemned and strong action will be taken‚" said Mahlambi.
Speculation is rife on social media that this is a school in KZN‚ either in the Zululand area in the north of the province or at a school in Inanda‚ north of Durban.