The death of Lufuno Mavhunga, who is said to have died by suicide, has brought bullying in schools back into the spotlight. Although sad to say, bullying is, and has been a reality way before this incident. Many of us may have experienced bullying at some stage or even perpetuated bullying or were silent onlookers to such acts.
The tragic case of Lufuno has, however, brought bullying into sharp focus for all of us because it did not only expose the tragic consequences that bullying could possibly have, but it so happens that this case of bullying, as vicious and humiliating as it was, was recorded and all of us in some way became witnesses to this inhumane act.
It is not often that we get to see bullying in the manner that we did, like in this recent incident, and worse; we are now all left with the knowledge that what we all witnessed is somewhat directly linked and more than likely, hugely contributed to the untimely death of Lufuno. South Africa is up in arms and wants justice – rightfully so.
For many, justice would be seeing the perpetrator thrown in jail and forgotten about. But I want you and I to have a much more nuanced outlook on this incident and do a little bit of societal/group introspection.
Why were there onlookers? Why were there children laughing and cheering on the bully. The bullying happening in the manner that it happened, where fellow pupils looked on, I think speaks to the levels of violence in our country that have become acceptable or normalized – so much so that children think violence is an appropriate avenue for relaying dissent.
Lufuno and the bully are children of our society, they reflect us. This incident is an indictment on our society. Our emotions are rightfully heightened and seek justice – as we should. However, we need to look at the bigger picture; we need to do a level of introspection in how we got here and how our societal psyche contributed to creating conducive environments for such incidents to occur.
I am not undermining the pain of Lufuno’s family or your pain. And I am not absolving the perpetrator. I am, however, trying to get us to think deeply about how our society has contributed to the bullying problem. I am also cautioning that, whatever sanction the bully is going to face, we need to ensure that we do not create another monster.
The truth of the matter is, the bully is a child themselves and in the pursuit of justice, we should not neglect the fact that we live in a country that acts in the best interests of a child. In cases such as this it is important that as emotive as our reaction is, we also remain cognizant of the consequences that we could face if the sanctions are not considerate of the fact that the bully is a child as well.
I know for many people it is difficult to wrap their head around the fact that a child could slap another child in that manner – and because of this, many believe that the bully lost the right to be a child, as soon as they abused another child in that manner.
But this for me should be a moment for us to reflect on how a child got to a point where they think it is okay to treat someone like that. Is there something happening at home or around them that creates a conducive environment for violence to be their natural response?
Do not get me wrong, this is not to absolve the bully or their role in the incident that led Lufuno to her death. But this is to say while pointing the finger at the bully and the role that they played and the role the bystanders played, we also need to think about society's contribution to the creation of this bully. We need to have a nuanced outlook on how our violent society somehow finds expression in our schools and other facets of society as a matter of fact. Children and schools are microcosm of society. They reflect our society. We cannot divorce them from the broader context in which they exist.
I say, we played a huge part in the creation of these bullies, whether directly or indirectly. Are these bullies not a reflection of our own dysfunctional and violent society?!
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