WATCH | ‘Mama, you failed me’: Etwatwa teen’s death sparks bullying claims against teacher

Unaware that her 17-year-old daughter had already decided to take her own life, Buyiswa Ndlovu spent the final hours of her daughter’s life driving around Etwatwa with her, trying to understand why the teenager was crying and playing sad songs.

During the drive, Precious “Cucu” Ndlovu opened up about alleged bullying by a teacher at Phandimfundo Secondary School before dying hours later.

Recalling those final moments in the car with her daughter, Ndlovu said Precious had said to her: “Mama, you failed me.”

“When I asked her how, she said I had forced her to go to the same school where the class teacher bullies her; otherwise, I would disown her.”

In an unsent message addressed to her mother, which Sowetan has seen, the teenager detailed how she was tired of being hurt, and how she had bottled up a lot.

She also said she wished to speak up about it but could not.

Precious died shortly after being dropped off at her grandmother’s house on Wednesday, leaving behind a seven-month-old daughter and a devastated family searching for answers. She is being laid to rest in Benoni on Wednesday morning.

Ndlovu said her daughter told her that the teacher constantly bullied her, including accusing her of sleeping in class because she became a mother at a young age.

“The teacher does not deserve to be an educator. She must be completely removed from teaching altogether,” she said.

Spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana confirmed that the Gauteng education department was aware of the incident and said investigations were under way by both the department and the South African Police Service.

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group offers free 24-hour support through its helpline on 0800-567-567 and WhatsApp support on 087-163-2030.