The first step towards justice for Lufuno Mavhunga was taken on Wednesday when Limpopo police confirmed that a 15-year-old pupil from Mbilwi Secondary School has been arrested and charged with assault.
Teen charged with assaulting Lufuno Mavhunga
The nation has been reeling in shock since Monday when it was revealed that Mavhunga, a 15-year-old Grade 10 pupil of the high school in Sibasa, had taken her own life hours after she was humiliated in an assault that was captured on video.
The 15-year-old stood helplessly as her classmate slapped and swung punches at her repeatedly, much to the appeasement of her peers, who gleefully watched on.
#SchoolViolence #Bullying This incident happened at the Mbilwi Secondary school in Vhembe District, Limpopo.@DBE_SA @BOSBEER2006 @MARIUSBROODRYK @News24 pic.twitter.com/TWHaM4gwDd
— BOSBEER.COM (@BOSBEER2006) April 15, 2021
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the girl seen attacking Mavhunga in the viral video was placed under arrest on Wednesday.
“The suspect is a learner at Mbilwi Secondary School in Thohoyandou. The incident, which was captured on video and went viral on social media, allegedly took place at Sibasa Block A on Monday 12 April 2021 at about 11h30 and was reported to the police on Wednesday morning,” Brig. Mojapelo wrote in a statement.
Being viewed as a minor in the eyes of the law, the 15-year-old suspect will be prosecuted in accordance with the Child Justice Act. which categorically states that it “aims to keep children out of detention and away from the formal criminal justice system.”
Mavhunga’s last words
The recent arrest made for a bittersweet moment in a tragedy that has exposed the Education Department’s failure to address violence in schools.
According to Mavhunga’s father, Mbilwi Secondary’s principal and school teachers were made aware of the repeated bullying her daughter endured a long time ago.
However, as is the case for many victims of bullying, nothing was done about it. In a chilling turn of events, a letter, reportedly scripted by Mavhunga before she overdosed on pills, has surfaced on social media. In it, the teen laments on the humiliation she suffered and how, in her view, it defined an end to her life.
At this time, it is unclear when the suspect will make her first court appearance.