MIDDELBURG – A Middelburg parent has withdrawn her Grade 8 daughter from Steelcrest High School following an alleged incident involving a vehicle on the school premises on 22 May 2026.

Nelisiwe Mabaso alleges that her daughter was walking towards the school gate at around 13:50 when a vehicle entering the premises struck her arm and feet.

She claims that a teacher who was a passenger in the vehicle shouted at the learner instead of assisting her, while the driver allegedly checked his vehicle before attending to the child.

The learner was taken to an emergency room the following day.

On 27 May, Mabaso lodged a formal complaint with the school principal, copying the Mpumalanga Department of Education and the South African Council for Educators (SACE).

In her complaint, she called for an investigation into the incident, preservation of CCTV footage, improved safety measures and trauma counselling for her daughter.

The department responded on the same day, stating that the complaint was “noted and referred to district and circuit for immediate handling”.

However, Mabaso claims she received no further assistance despite following up on 9 June.

She said her daughter's mental health had deteriorated following the incident, with the learner experiencing sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating and declining academic performance.

“I would rather have her stay at home with no school than leave her in a place that is supposed to protect children but damaged her,” Mabaso wrote in August.

The Mpumalanga Department of Education has, however, disputed the parent's version of events.

Department spokesperson Gerald Sambo confirmed that an incident occurred at approximately 13:50 on 22 May but maintained that the vehicle did not strike the learner.

“The vehicle did not strike the learner. The learner made contact with the side of the vehicle as it was entering the school grounds,” Sambo said.

According to Sambo, the driver stopped immediately and attended to the learner, who initially indicated that she was fine.

He said the learner later complained of pain in her hand while at the school's front office. She was subsequently given first aid in the sick room, and her mother was contacted.

Sambo said the principal offered to take the learner to hospital, but Mabaso declined the offer.

Responding to concerns about the learner's mental health and counselling, Sambo said the school only became aware on 13 August that the learner had allegedly expressed suicidal thoughts.

He said no such concerns had been reported to the school before that date.

According to Sambo, teachers indicated that the learner “generally presented as able to interact with others and participate in the normal school environment”.

He said the department's Psychological Services attempted to provide assistance, but the learner was no longer attending school and could not be reached.

Sambo maintained that the department remains available to provide the necessary support.

He further said school records indicated that the learner continued attending classes for some time after the incident before being kept at home.

This was despite attempts by the school and the Circuit Manager to engage Mabaso over the matter.

Sambo said the complaint was subsequently escalated to the District Labour Office, which concluded that the correct protocols had been followed.

“At this stage, no misconduct finding warranting SACE referral has been made. Should new information emerge, the matter will be reconsidered,” Sambo said.

The learner's identity has been withheld to protect her as a minor. The allegations concerning the teacher's conduct form part of the parent's formal complaint and have not been independently verified.