The Grade 10 pupil, Lathitha Nako, is reported to have died in hospital on Wednesday after she took her own life by ingesting pesticide.
On Monday morning, her schoolmates and their parents picketed outside the school, demanding justice. This follows public outcry regarding the circumstances around her death.
It is alleged that 16 year old Nako was continuously bullied by some of her teachers and her peers who called her a witch for having an ancestral calling.
She was due to undergo an initiation to become a traditional healer.
One of her disgruntled classmates described her as someone quiet and reserved.
They also say that she became more reclusive as the bullying incidents continued.
Another learner says that the school could have prevented the issue from escalating but failed to do so by neglecting their reports about the bullying incidents.
The incident has also angered traditional healers in the province, Eastern Cape’s chief of CONTRALESA, Mwelo Nonkonyana calling for the restoration of the powers and functions of traditional leaders in school governing bodies throughout the country.
The Eastern Cape Education Spokesperson, Xoliswa Mboxela has confirmed that the department has launched its own investigation into the matter and they have managed to gather some digital evidence.
The department heard of the passing of Lathitha after she left three voice notes and some Facebook posts coming from her classmates.
In addition to this, the department has also held a multidisciplinary stakeholder session at the school, in which all the parties involved, including parents, learners and the school governing body and religious leaders participated.
The department is expected to table a report on its investigation within the next seven days.
