The guardians of a 16-year-old learner at Groenberg Sekondêr have opened a case with Grabouw police after the learner was allegedly struck on the face by a female police officer.
According to the learner’s guardian, the incident occurred at approximately 09:00 on Friday 9 October, during a police inspection at the school.
They said that the female police officer allegedly searched the learner’s bag and asked who the bag belonged to. When the learner confirmed that it was hers, the officer allegedly asked whether she smoked after the officer claimed to smell something on her.
“During an inspection at the school by Grabouw police, the learners were instructed to stand in lines so that officers could check whether they had any prohibited items or were using drugs,” the guardian said.
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They added that “after a female police officer had searched the [16-year-old], she asked her whether she had been smoking because she could smell something on her. However, [the learner] repeatedly told the officer that she did not smoke and did not have anything on her.” The learner reportedly denied smoking several times, saying, “I don’t have it. I don’t smoke.”
According to the guardian, the officer then slapped the learner in front of other learners.
Subsequently, the learner’s family opened a case at Grabouw police station on Monday 12 October, following the alleged incident.
The guardian said the family had taken the matter to the police, while the school principal reportedly expressed relief that they had opened a case.
Police told Hermanus Times that enquiries should be directed to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
Questions were sent to IPID and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) regarding the incident as well as the allegations being examined and the steps taken to establish what happened, respectively.
Both IPID and WCED had not responded by the time of publication.
The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident and whether any misconduct occurred. The allegations against the officer have not been independently verified.
