The mother of an 11-year-old boy said her son was dragged into a toilet at Sinqobile Primary School in Soshanguve, South Africa, during school break, where three pupils pinned him down and a fourth tied a red ribbon around his penis and cut off his foreskin, and the boys threatened to beat him if he told anyone. ^[1] South African police spokesman Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said on 2026-09-02 that a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is being investigated by the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit, and that no arrests have been made. ^[2] The boy's mother said her son limped home after the attack and did not tell her what had happened until the following morning, when he was in too much pain to get out of bed, and then showed her his swollen genitals. ^[3] The boy suffered severe trauma from the attack and had to be rushed to a doctor. ^[4] The boy's mother reported that the attack involved a sharp object, presumably a knife, and that the child was pinned down by three pupils while the fourth performed the circumcision. ^[5] The incident highlights concerns about the accessibility of dangerous weapons in South African schools and security gaps regarding pupil monitoring. ^[6] The boy's mother said she has opened a criminal case and has refused to allow her son to return to school because he feels unsafe attending lessons. ^[7]