A video clip of a Ladysmith teacher ‘disciplining’ three of his learners outside their classroom has gone viral on social media, sparking a wave of mixed reactions from the public.
The footage shows three teenagers standing in front of their classroom while their teacher slaps them on the head, reportedly in response to alleged misbehaviour during lessons.
Following the circulation of the video, Newcastillian News contacted both Dr Shabalala Secondary School and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education to determine whether any action is being taken against the teacher; however, no official comment was available at the time of publication.
Ladysmith SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Basheer Khan confirmed he was aware of the video circulating online. He explained, however, that the local police in Ladysmith had not received any formal report regarding the incident, meaning no case had been opened at this stage.
Member of the Provincial Legislature and Democratic Alliance spokesperson on Education, Sakhile Mngadi, noted that he was not initially aware of the incident but would be following up with the school to establish the facts.
“From the video shown, there are a number of clear violations. We do not practice corporal punishment anymore. Irrespective of what the children have done, that is not the way to deal with it, so we will expect disciplinary measures to be enforced on the educator and we are hoping the Department is also going to counsel the learners, because they have been exposed and experienced abuse, so it is concerning for us as the DA,” said Mngadi.
Furthermore, the incident has since gained provincial attention and sparked intense debate among parents and the broader community. Some parents have expressed outrage and are calling for disciplinary measures against the educator, while others have defended his actions.
One X (formerly Twitter) user commented, “This looks to me like a decent man instilling discipline on young mischievous learners. We need this in our schools. Salute to the teacher.” Another added, “Take a klap today, or meet Mkhwanazi when you are 21. I know which one I prefer.”
As the story continues to unfold, the situation highlights the challenges schools face in balancing discipline and student welfare, emphasising the need for clear policies and support systems for both learners and educators to prevent similar incidents in the future.
What are your thoughts on the above? Share your views in the comment section below.
4 Responses
I think it’s good to dicipline the youth to understand at home you can do as you will but here you behave yourself and respect your teacher
Today’s children needs discipline. Parents don’t teach their kids respect anymore, then the poor teacher sit with that demons and are the bad one in the end. Sad but true. Slapping them was wrong, yes. But when will they start showing respect, because they feel it is their right to have no respect.
Well we all got decent hidings at school and I don’t think one of us turned out as bad is the youngsters of today. That is why teachers are being soaked in toilet water and no respect is shown.
Today’s children are out of hand. They have absolute no respect. Parents and teachers hands are tied because of children’s rights. The bullying of teachers and children in schools is too much. Kids are getting away with alot. What happens when teachers get bullied. The perpetrator doesn’t get disciplined. When we were in school we used get a hiding just for not doing our homework our parents used to beat us up if we went out of line. That is why we grew up wd respect and discipline. I have no words for this generation. The government is to blame. Our rights as parents and teachers are taken away from us as how to dicipline kids of today. They don’t know what a belt on the skin feels like it’s now called abuse