Africa-Press – South-Africa. Two Northern Cape pupils who allegedly assaulted a referee at a rugby game over the weekend have been suspended.
The two Hoërskool Daniëlskuil pupils, along with parents, allegedly attacked the teacher acting as referee during the game at the school on Saturday.
“The school governing body and school management are busy with an internal investigation because learners from the school were involved in the alleged incident,” said Hoërskool Daniëlskuil school governing body chairperson Jan-George van Straten.
The school governing body condemned the incident and all other forms of violence, saying the alleged incident went against the school’s values and ethos.
Preliminary reports indicated that there had apparently been a lot of dissatisfaction from Hoërskool Daniëlskuil around the referee’s handling of the match, said Northern Cape education department spokesperson Sydney Stander.
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He said the teacher belonged to the Griqualand West Referees’ Association. At the end of the match, parents chased the teacher, and two people assaulted him. Two under-15 players from the school allegedly kicked the referee while he was on the ground, said Stander.
“Schools are responsible for ensuring the safety of referees, and the field must be cordoned off so that no spectator may be closer than five metres from the field. The school has failed in its duty here,” said Stander.
The teacher has since received medical treatment.
Stander said:
Stander has urged the teacher to lay criminal charges, and for the pupils to face disciplinary action.
Van Straten confirmed that the two pupils had been suspended, saying they would only be allowed on school property to write exams.
He added that the school was still in the process of identifying the parents involved in the assault and was still busy with its investigation.
At the time of publication, Northern Cape police had not confirmed if a criminal case had been opened.
Meanwhile, all of the school’s home matches were suspended until the investigation was completed, said Stander.
The pupils may also face sanctions from the Griqualand West Rugby Union, which is also investigating the incident.
In a statement, the rugby union condemned the assault.
“At this point, the situation is being investigated and Griqualand West Rugby Union will act accordingly after the investigation is completed,” the statement read.
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