Moms upset after rugby tour initiation
2011-04-12 09:49
Pretoria – New members of the Wonderboom High School's rugby first team
in Pretoria apparently underwent initiation during a rugby tour in which they
were stripped almost naked, hit with plastic pipes and had to drink a
concoction allegedly containing urine.
Their hair and eyebrows were also apparently shaved off.
The seven boys were also blindfolded, Deep Heat was smeared on their eyes and
they were dragged around on the ground in their underwear while they were sworn
at.
A mother told on Monday that her son had said: "Mommy, some of the boys
cried and others threw up after they drank the concoction." Her son said
it contained urine.
This mom and two other mothers who spoke to reporters, asked to remain
anonymous.They also had to promise their children that they wouldn't lay
official charges.
The boys were apparently initiated by senior members of the school's rugby first
team during their first rugby tour.
They left on March 31 to play rugby in Beaufort-West in the Western Cape and
returned on April 6.
"My child has been hurt. One of the teachers on tour apparently had to
treat some of the boys at one stage. My child is traumatised," told
another mother.
One of the mothers wrote an anonymous letter to the school in which she complained.
She said according to her son they were hit with plastic pipes on the back,
hands and buttocks.
"I wanted to complain, but my child made me promise that I wouldn't do it.
I just rubbed ointment where I could."
Principal Dr Faan van Wyk said upon enquiry they immediately started
investigating the matter on Monday after receiving an anonymous letter from a
parent.
"We called in all of the boys before they could talk to each other and
asked that every one wrote down how they experienced the tour."
"All
of them wrote that they decided themselves to shave off their hair. They wrote
they were not forced to do it and that the tour was fun. They
wrote that they shaved off their hair to build team spirit and that they had a
good time laughing at one another. The letters were consistent and I was quite
relieved but now we have heard of the other allegations, we won't let the
matter rest there.
"We regard the allegations in a serious light. Initiation is
unacceptable."
