The family of a Grade 12 student at Khethimfundo High, Bhamshela, wants the teacher suspended and an investigation started against him, following his suicide on Thursday.
Mongezi Shandu (22) was found cold by his family, hanging himself from a rope in his bedroom.
His uncle, Mr. Nathi Santosi, said they found out after his nephew was gone that there was a teacher he had a problem with at school for some time.
He revealed that since last year, his nephew has not made the mistake of going to school without wearing a mask.
He said that he had been asking him what the cure was because the Covid-19 had long since ended, and the deceased replied: “Nothing has stopped”.
“We found out now because he killed himself that there was a teacher who told him to help him wear a mask when he comes to school because his mouth disgusts him,” said Santosi.
He revealed that there was something wrong that he knew about the same teacher but he did not know that it would lead to his nephew killing himself.
He said that in the middle of February, they discovered that the teacher had beaten the deceased with his fists, after which he played with him in a way that he did not like.
“We heard that the teacher picked up the paper mill (printer), the nephew teased him saying ‘you are a gora sir’. It is said that he immediately put the machine down and punched him,” he said.
He said that after that incident, the principal came to their home, saying that he would talk about the issue.
He stated that it ended with the deceased’s mother asking the deceased to return to school and apologize to the teacher, which the student allegedly did.
However, it turns out that on the Friday before Thursday, when the student finally killed himself, the teacher called him to the office, and they both had a conversation.
“We don’t know what he said to him as we found out that on Monday and Tuesday he sat in the toilets and did not attend class. On Wednesday he was absent and on Thursday he killed himself,” said Santosi.
He said there was no letter or message written to the deceased before he killed himself, but the message they received on his mobile phone, which he was sending to his friend, saying: “Teachers came home and talked but not me”.
He said this painted a full picture for them that the thing that led his nephew to kill himself, was the fight between him and the teacher.
“We suspect that he spoke a lot to the child. But he did not reveal it because he was not a child who liked to talk. What is the story of him talking to him and after a short time he kills himself?” asked Santosi.
He said they were a family and wanted justice for the incident.
“We want him to be stopped and investigated for the incident. We are worried that if this matter ends up in the air, how many other children will kill themselves because of him?” said Santosi.
The governing body of the school as well as the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal, by the time it was time to go to press, had not breathed a sigh of relief on this matter.
The KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Sergeant Thenjiswa Ngcobo, said that the Nsuze police have opened a death docket for investigation, following the discovery of a man (22) hanging himself in the Sidunjini area on Thursday.