The Eastern Cape education department has suspended five pupils from a senior secondary school in the Mdantsane area.
This follows the circulation of video footage showing the girl being slapped and harassed by a group of boys.
Education MEC Fundile Gade and officials visited the school on Monday.
The driver of the bus transporting the pupils was also suspended, department spokesperson Vuyiseka Mboxeka said.
Disciplinary processes will start on Thursday, led by the provincial office.
The Daily Dispatch quoted a member of the school governing body as saying the group of schoolboys had previously faced complaints, including allegations of being caught with alcohol on school premises. The attack on the girl appeared to have been an alleged retaliation after she reported the group, saying they damaged a school fence.
The girl's mother has registered an assault complaint with the police against the group. “I want them to be arrested,” she told the publication.
A voice note circulating in the school’s parent WhatsApp group, reportedly from the local taxi association, said the bus driver who witnessed the incident was extremely upset but felt powerless to intervene.
TimesLIVE
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