11-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Dragged Into School Toilet, Circumcised by Four Students

An 11-year-old South African schoolboy was allegedly dragged into a toilet during break time, pinned down by four older pupils and forcibly circumcised with a blade. He was then reportedly threatened with violence if he told anyone, leaving him to suffer in silence for days.

An 11-year-old Grade 5 pupil at Sinqobile Primary School in Soshanguve, South Africa, was allegedly dragged into a school toilet and forcibly circumcised by four Grade 7 pupils. Police said the boys are being investigated for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. No arrests had been made at the time of the report.

11-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Dragged Into School Toilet and Circumcised by Four Students
An 11-year-old boy was allegedly dragged into a school toilet during break time and forcibly circumcised by four older pupils in Soshanguve, South Africa.

The Grade 5 pupil was reportedly attacked at Sinqobile Primary School, where three pupils allegedly pinned him down while another removed his shorts.

According to his mother, the boys then tied a red ribbon around the boy’s penis before using a sharp blade to remove his foreskin.

The child was reportedly left bleeding in the toilet after being warned not to tell anyone what had happened.

Boy reportedly suffered in silence
The pupil allegedly returned home after the incident without telling his mother.

According to South African police, the boy was too frightened to report the incident because the older pupils had allegedly threatened to beat him if he spoke about it.

Several days later, his mother noticed that he was walking strangely.

When she asked him about it, the boy reportedly told her it was a “fashionable new way of walking.”

However, his condition later became worse.
One morning, while still experiencing severe pain, the boy reportedly could not get out of bed to go to school.

He eventually told his mother that “something happened” at school.

His mother, who is 40 and has not been named to protect her son’s identity, said she was shocked when the boy showed her his swollen private parts.
She immediately took him to a doctor.

According to the mother, medical examination revealed that the boy had been circumcised.

She said her son told her that four Grade 7 pupils had attacked him in the school toilet during break time.

“He said the other boys pinned him down in the school toilets during break and tied a red ribbon round his penis and cut off his foreskin,” the mother said.

She added that the boys had threatened to beat him if he told anyone.

“I have now opened a criminal case,” she said.
Police investigate alleged school toilet attack
The mother initially refused to allow her son to return to school.

However, police reportedly persuaded the boy to return so he could identify the pupils allegedly involved during an identification parade.

Police spokeswoman Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said a criminal investigation was ongoing.
“A case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is being fully investigated.”

She added that the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit was investigating the matter.
No arrests had been made at the time of the report.

School authorities react

The Gauteng Department of Education also confirmed that the matter was being investigated.

Department spokesman Onwabile Lubhelwana said the school had not reported similar incidents involving pupils.

“This matter is under investigation by the South African Police Service and the outcome will determine the action we take,” he said.
Deputy school principal George Mahlungu expressed shock over the incident.

“We are perplexed by what happened. This school is a place where a child should be safe,” he said.

Sinqobile Primary School has about 2,050 pupils between the ages of seven and 15.
Despite the school’s reported record, the boy’s mother said her son was now too traumatised to return to class.

Doctor raises concern over alleged circumcision

The boy’s doctor reportedly told his mother that the procedure appeared to have been carried out in a manner similar to circumcision practices associated with traditional initiation schools.

The doctor reportedly found that no stitches had been used after the foreskin was removed.
However, a full diagnosis could not immediately be made because of the swelling.

The incident has since triggered outrage, with some social media users expressing fears about the possible consequences of the alleged attack.

One commenter reportedly said the boy could have bled to death.

However, police have not described the incident as attempted murder. The investigation remains ongoing.