Welkom HTS school educator’s disturbing outburst leaves Grade 8 learner traumatised

A shocking video has surfaced showing a 14-year-old Grade 8 student, Bokang Letebele, from HTS Welkom, being subjected to severe mistreatment by a teacher. The disturbing footage, recorded over a phone, reveals the teacher’s inappropriate and aggressive conduct, leaving Bokang and other students deeply unsettled.

The incident unfolded when Bokang and his classmates, finding their teacher absent, entered the teacher’s classroom. The teacher returned to find students talking and, in a fit of rage, grabbed one student by the shirt and threatened him. When a student playing music was wrongly accused, the teacher demanded his phone and accused Bokang of causing the disruption.

According to Bokang, the situation escalated when the teacher saw him and another student laughing. She insulted Bokang, calling him “4 eyes” and demanded he leave the class. When he didn’t comply, the teacher attempted to strangle him and pushed him out. As Bokang tried to check his phone, which made a noise from game mode, the teacher grabbed him by the arm and hair, resulting in a physical altercation on the floor.

The video shows students chanting for help and urging others to call the police, while a student warns Bokang to run away.

Bokang’s mother, Motshidisi Molete, expressed her deep distress, describing the teacher’s actions as unforgivable. She noted that such behavior is unacceptable, even from a parent. Molete has spoken with the acting principal, who indicated that the matter is under investigation by the Department of Education.

Despite visiting Jan Hofmeyer police station, Molete was informed that the school should notify the police. Bokang, who described the incident as something he only sees on TV, said, “I feel traumatized because I have never experienced something like that before and only see them on TV.”

A source at the school, who requested anonymity, revealed that this incident is the fourth such video trending at HTS School in Welkom, indicating a troubling pattern of conflicts between teachers and students. The source criticized the school management for failing to address ongoing issues, including racial tensions.

A facebook screenshot of the alleged teacher after the altercation.

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Kasi Voice News sent an email to Mr. Rogers, the school principal, in sought for a response following this incident, and as of the time of publication, no response had been received.

Meanwhile, the Free State Education spokesperson Howard Ndaba confirmed that an investigation is underway. “This is not the way learners should be disciplined,” Ndaba stated. “We will thoroughly investigate the incident and report our findings to the public.”