A 14 year-old pupil has undergone facial reconstruction surgery after a brutal attack by a fellow pupil at Paul Roos Gymnasium High School, in Stellenbosch.
The incident, which took place on October 28 has left the Grade 8 victim and his family traumatised.
"We all cannot understand why a boy would want to hurt another so brutally," said a family spokesperson who cannot be identified to protect the victim.
The victim's older brother was writing Matric exams on the day of the incident and has also been " traumatized severely" by the incident.
According to the family the attack took place at the school just before the "morning bell" went off and the boys "had words with each other".
The alleged perpetrator was also a Grade 8 pupil.
The family said the violent assault left the victim with a broken jaw, broken nose, crushed left eye socket and left cheekbone as well as loose bottom teeth.
The victim underwent surgery to reconstruct the jawbone, nose bone, left eye socket with plates, the cheekbone and the bottom were realigned.
"He is unable to speak at the moment and seems to be recovering well. He is on a fluid diet for the first week, feeding through syringes and is being assisted to walk and bathe. He will also have to go for check-up assessment with the Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgeon every six months until the age of 16. Further surgery will be advised when he is 16 years old," said the family.
The family also suspected that the victim was "bullied" before by the perpetrator and added that it was aware of "light initiation" at the beginning of the year where the victim was made to "wear a board" as part of clean "fun".
The school said it had suspended the perpetrator.
The family said it expected the school to show support for the family and the victim.
The provincial Department of Education said it had been notified of the incident and the school had confirmed to it that it was busy investigating the facts and are dealing with the matter in a serious manner.
"The alleged perpetrator has been suspended," said spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond in a statement.
She also said following the investigation, a disciplinary hearing would be held.
Hammond said the school has been in contact with the parents regarding the incident and to follow up on the progress made by the victim.
However, the school said it would only release a statement after it had established all the facts, in line with its policies and protocols.
The school was in the news in 2016 for an alleged sexual assault investigation against a pupil.