Police spokesperson Martin Xuma says the trio who are from Sediti Secondary School on the outskirts of Thaba’Nchu allegedly lured their 18-year-old victim to the school’s hostels on Saturday, where the assault then took place.

The Free State Education Department Spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, says the violated learner reported the incident to police. The accused were thereafter taken into custody and questioned before appearing in the Local Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, August 6. The teenagers were warned to reappear on August 29. Ndaba says the department condemns the incident.

Ndaba said the department has since deployed social workers to give counselling to the victim and further adds that the department will meet with the parents of the victim and perpetrators to find a way forward following the shocking video on Thursday. Asked if action will be taken against more students, Ndaba says he can’t pre-empt the findings of the investigation by the department and he would rather not comment further at this stage.

The incident comes more than a year after four teenage boys, also from Thaba’Nchu, allegedly raped a 13-year-old classmate at Namanyane Primary School. Free State Education spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, said the boys had been suspended numerous times for ill-behaviour and bullying prior to the incident. Following their arrests, the boys were suspended from school. It was revealed the boys had just returned from a previous suspension days before the incident took place.

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