News24 | UPDATE | Chaos at Milnerton High as police use stun grenades on protesting parents

Police clashed with protesting parents outside Milnerton High School in Cape Town on Wednesday.

• Protesters, including parents and political organisations, clashed with police outside Milnerton High School on Wednesday.
• Police resorted to firing stun grenades to disperse the crowd.
• The protest was sparked by a video showing the brutal beating of a Grade 10 pupil by his peers.

Police fired stun grenades at parents and political organisations protesting outside Milnerton High School in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Outraged parents gathered to demand a meeting with the principal after a video showing the vicious beating of a Grade 10 pupil by other pupils went viral on social media.

The footage showed the boy being lashed with a hosepipe, a belt, a hockey stick and a wooden stick as he pleaded for the beating to stop.

Parents and other protesters gathered outside the school, wanting answers on a prevention plan for bullying.

The principal, flanked by police officers, informed the crowd that he was unable to address them due to an ongoing investigation by the provincial Department of Education.

He said he was willing to accept their memorandum.

READ | Cancer survivor pleads to be homeschooled after savage assault at Milnerton High

However, dissatisfied parents rejected this explanation and were unwilling to leave without answers from the principal.

Efforts to disperse the group escalated when police officers used shields to push the protesters back and fired stun grenades into the crowd.

Although parents dispersed briefly, they regrouped and confronted the police officers once again, who stood in riot formation and pushed the parents back.

Another clash ensued as some protesters resisted, leading to police firing additional stun grenades.

Former pupils also joined the protest, calling for reforms.

They challenged the school to root out the culture of bullying and take a stand against bullies.

By 16:30, the crowd remained outside the school as five community leaders were sent to meet with the principal inside the school premises.

The video, depicting the bullying incident, initially circulated within the school community, but later spread on social media, sparking widespread public outrage.

News24 previously reported that eight boys, aged 18 and 19, had been suspended and would face criminal charges.

It was also reported that nine boys in total were accosted, leaving them with severe bruises.