'Scars there forever' for teen bullied as youngster

YEARS after removing her son from a Nelson Mandela Bay school where he was constantly beaten, called gay and tormented, a mother still cannot talk about his ordeal without shedding a tear.

While her son has moved on and risen above the bullying he endured for three years during his primary school years, he still has sessions with a psychologist as he sometimes grapples with the after-effects.

More than half of South African pupils are bullied at school, with schools either being proactive in dealing with incidents or simply dismissing them as children being children.

The boy, now 14, became suicidal at just 11 years old as he was ridiculed, beaten and called derogatory names like "faggot" on a daily basis. He was once spat on by his bullies, who constantly teased him for being involved in cultural extramural activities rather than sports. - Zandile Mbabela