Thabang Tshabalala, a Grade 9 student allegedly drank poison and died following continuous humiliation from his teachers. The incident happened on the 31st of January 2023.
It is alleged that the teachers would humiliate him in front of other pupils saying his mother was pr_ostitute in Gauteng and that she bought him fake clothes.
Thabang who was aged 15 was a student at Tlotlisong Secondary school in Ficksburg in the Free State Province.
He had previously asked his mother to transfer him to another school but she refused despite his threats to commit suicide.
His classmates told the media that they were aware of the humiliation. They said at one point the teacher called Thabang a failure.
Angered by the incident, students damaged the school, police cars and vehicles belonging to the teachers. They also attacked teachers accusing them of being the cause of Thabang’s passing.
Thabang was an upcoming cyclist with a bright future ahead of him.
