The Gauteng department of education on Monday confirmed that a woman who was seen in a video assaulting a mentally disabled pupil had been suspended.
The woman, believed to be a food server at the Adelaide Tambo School in Soweto, was arrested on charges of assault and later released on bail.
In the video, the woman is seen pinning down the schoolgirl inside a bus and slapping her until the driver intervenes. The driver then forces the child out of the bus and on to a pavement.
"[The] necessary disciplinary action will be taken against the driver, we intend to suspend the driver, the... paperwork is being finalised today," Steve Mabona said.
Mabona said the department was disappointed by the incident and would not tolerate such behaviour.
"We are not going to tolerate any ill-treatment of learners by officials."
The school was dismissive and unhelpful
The child's mother told EWN that she did not get much support from the school when she reported the matter.
According to the mother, the principal was dismissive and unhelpful and brushed her off.
"I showed him the video, then he said: 'Oh, the lady came to me and told me she smacked your daughter, but it's nothing.'"
There has been a scourge of violence in South African schools lately. A video circulating on social media showed a teacher viciously assaulting a pupil in the classroom with a stick in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this month.
In a separate incident, seven teachers were suspended for acts of sexual assault, rape and violence towards pupils in KwaZulu-Natal this month.
Two cases were caught on video and went viral on social media.